By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
February 14 – The eagerly awaited report into whether any of the contenders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were involved in corruption and broke bidding rules is expected to be released later this year according to a senior FIFA official.
The revelation came during German FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger’s address to this week’s European Parliament session on Qatar’s human rights record and was a complete surprise to insiders involved in the bidding process.
Since starting his probe of World Cup candidates with a visit to England last October, there has been precious little information about the ongoing agenda of FIFA’s main corruption buster Michael Garcia, head of the investigatory arm of FIFA’s ethics committee.
Even FIFA President Sepp Blatter has refused to discuss the independent investigation, with no indication as to the timing of Garcia’s supposed tour of all nine candidates: 2018 hosts Russia and the losing bidders from Belgium/the Netherlands, Portugal/Spain and already visited England; and for 2022, hosts Qatar and vanquished adversaries Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
But Zwanziger, who FIFA have mandated as their main representative to liaise with the Qatari authorities in the effort to improve the country’s human rights record and treatment of migrant workers, disclosed that Garcia’s team had been drawing up its findings behind the scenes.
When asked about the unlikely prospect of moving the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, Zwanziger replied: “We have an independent ethics committee which is independently investigating whether there are any breaches of the ethical principles of FIFA…and which applies to the World Cup in Qatar.”
“We will expect that report in the second half of the year. When that report is available we can then have that discussion. At the moment, our view is that there was a clear decision taken by a majority (of the executive committee). Some people didn’t agree with it but contracts have been concluded.”
Zwanziger’s comments took Qatari officials totally by surprise since it is understood Garcia has not yet visited the Gulf state as part of his probe. In fact, not since Garcia started his tour with a visit to England has there been any update about which, if any, of the eight other contenders for 2018 and 2022 have been visited and which actual bid officials have been consulted.
Zwanziger’s revelation nevertheless has a delicious sense of intrigue. Although it is now widely accepted that the Qatar World Cup will take place in November and December rather than the summer, FIFA have repeatedly made it clear that no official decision will be taken until all stakeholders have been properly consulted and that an announcement on actual dates could be delayed until next year.
This may now be construed as a deliberate delaying tactic in order to wait for Garcia’s report establishing whether any malpractice was conducted by Qatar or anyone else. The Qataris – who have been virtually under siege ever since winning a landslide victory in December 2010 – have long stood accused of malpractice without any hard evidence and which they have consistently denied.
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