Decision in FIFA 2018, 2022 WCs bidding corruption inquiries unlikely until next spring

Decision in FIFA 2018, 2022 WCs biddingLondon, Sep 20 : FIFA's ethics chief Hans-Joachim Eckert has said that a decision in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups bidding corruption inquiry is unlikely to be given until next spring.

FIFA had awarded the 2018 tournament to Russia in 2010, with the 2022 event handed to Qatar at the same time. American prosecutor Michael Garcia last month filed a report into the legality of the bidding processes.

Eckert said that they would have some final reports and then there would be decisions, but added that this takes time. He said he would finish examining Garcia's report by the end of October or the beginning of November, The BBC reported.

Eckert added that he is now doing a statement on the report and then Garcia would be working further. He said that there would be some decisions, maybe in spring, and then they would go on.

German judge Eckert, the chair of the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee, said that he would limit his verdicts to individuals, disappointing FIFA critics who want him to order re-votes into Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 after allegations of corruption.

He added that such a decision would be for FIFA's ruling executive committee or its congress of 209 federations.

Eckert said that the judgement might be the base for a decision in sports politics, but they would not make any recommendations, as that is not their job.

Eckert insisted that no one at FIFA had read the confidential reports from Garcia, the chair of the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee, and they would never be made public.

He said only four people had seen the files, himself, Garcia, and their deputies, Australian judge Alan Sullivan and Swiss prosecutor Cornel Borbely. (ANI)