Garcia resigns from FIFA role

Michael Garcia has resigned from his position as independent chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.

Former United States attorney Garcia led the investigation by FIFA’s Ethics Committee into the bidding process for the next two World Cups, to be held in Russia and Qatar respectively.

The decision to award Qatar the 2022 showpiece was met with particular criticism over alleged corruption and staging the tournament in the country’s extreme weather conditions.

Ahead of a 41-page report into Garcia’s findings being published by Hans-Joachim Eckert, chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee, FIFA insisted the results could not be released in full due to legal implications.

The American blasted “erroneous representations of the facts” in Eckert’s summary and subsequently took his case to the FIFA Appeal Committee.

However, they rejected Garcia’s complaint, insisting he could not appeal against the report’s publication as no rulings were proposed within it, nor any fresh allegations of corruption found within it.

The decision has now prompted Garcia to step down from his role, citing a lack of leadership at FIFA as one of his primary reasons for leaving.

“I disagree with the Appeal Committee’s decision,”  he wrote in a lengthy statement. “It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process. 

“While the Appeal Committee’s decision notes that further appeal may be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I have concluded that such a course of action would not be practicable in this case.  

“No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organisation.  

“And while the November 13, 2014, Eckert decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, it is the lack of leadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end.

“Accordingly, effective today, December 17, 2014, I am resigning as independent Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.”