Javid wants Fifa to publish report 26 November 2014 Updated 00:00 GMT By Dan Roan - BBC sports editor Sajid Javid was appointed as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in April 2014 The government has called on Fifa to publish the full findings of its investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Sajid Javid has written to president Sepp Blatter urging Fifa to make public the full report. Fifa has so far only published a 42-page summary (external) of the investigation. Javid argues Fifas handling of the report further calls into question their independence and transparency. The summary report into alleged corruption regarding the bidding process for the both tournaments was published on 13 November and cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption. However, United States attorney Michael Garcia, who conducted the two-year inquiry, said the summary report contained numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations. Garcia and Fifas ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert have now agreed to allow the head of the world governing bodys Audit and Compliance Committee, Domenico Scala, to access all of their findings. Scala will then decide whether the full investigation is passed on to Fifas Executive Committee, leaving the door open to a possible re-vote. Javid says Blatter and Fifa must allow the full report to be made public if the organisation is to restore credibility. Without the disclosure of the full report, Fifa risks not just further damage to its own credibility, but significant damage to the reputation of football as a whole, he said. Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has already written to Fifa demanding full publication, adding the organisation cannot go on like this. However, the FA says it has no intention of boycotting the tournaments in Russia and Qatar. Four years of controversy 2 December 2010 - Russia and Qatar are chosen to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. 4 October 2013 - Fifa agrees to set up a taskforce to look into alternative dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar 1 June 2014 - The Sunday Times alleges that former Fifa vice-president, Mohamed bin Hammam, paid £3m to football officials in return for support for the Qatari bid 5 September 2014 - The report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process is submitted to Fifa by Michael Garcia 13 November 2014 - Fifa release a 42-page summary of the Garcia report which clears Russia and Qatar of corruption 13 November 2014 - Garcia claims the summary of his own report is materially incomplete and contains erroneous representations 20 November 2014 - Garcia and Fifa ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert agree to release the full copy of the report to the organisations compliance chief, Domenico Scala That is despite a suggestion from former FA chairman David Bernstein and others that members of European governing body Uefa should withdraw from future tournaments until Fifa made the bidding process more transparent. The World Cup is a fantastic tournament and we want to be playing in it, FA general secretary Alex Horne said. To link the two issues is extreme. I dont see us boycotting the World Cup. Blatter has so far rejected requests to publish the full report, insisting it would break Fifas rules over witness confidentiality and Swiss law. Fifa has filed a criminal complaint with the Swiss attorney general over unnamed individuals in the report, but the British government says the organisation should find a way to publish the report while still respecting the privacy of witnesses. I understand there are challenges around confidentiality within the report, but this is a challenge faced by many public bodies in conducting their work in an open and transparent way Javid said. Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke says the row over the report has damaged the organisations standing, adding it will have to rebuild its image day after day.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:11:39 +0000
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