By Paul Nicholson
November 13 – Perhaps the real winner of the report on the inquiry into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process is FIFA itself and its president Sepp Blatter, who will be standing for a fifth term as president next year.
The statement by Hans Joachim Eckert, chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics committee has a note titled ‘Remarks to President Blatter’.
Eckert makes it clear that Batter as FIFA president and chairman of the executive committee “has broad powers” and that his “responsibility for the myriad issues that developed over the course of the bidding process merits consideration”. A consideration that comes down favourably for Blatter and his executive.
Blatter was untouched by the inquiry. He faced one allegation that a bank account in his name was held at a US bank, but this was quickly proved to be untrue. “It must be made clear that President Blatter did not violate the FIFA Code of Ethics,” says Eckert.
Eckert, a German, goes further and praises Blatter – a generally unfashionable position to take in European football circles in the current climate.
“Mr Blatter has implemented a number of critical reforms, including those that made this inquiry possible,” says Eckert. “The rules with respect to jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee were changed and absent those 2012 reforms, the present inquiry could not have been initiated by the Chair of the Investigatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee. As head of the organisation, he also deserves credit for the cooperation FIFA demonstrated throughout the investigation.”
There was also praise for the bidding process established by FIFA which Eckhart says “was for the most part fair and through”. His criticism of process is that the Executive Committee’s obligations “should have been made more explicit”.
Eckert also sends a message to Blatter in his statement, saying that as FIFA’s leader, “it is important he addresses the recommendation issued in the report”.
One of those recommendations is a ” maximum of two four-year terms for all officials on the FIFA Executive Committee, without exception or possibility of renewal.” This is the one proposal on reform that the FIFA Congress in 2014 rejected.
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