FIFA and the Garcia Report
Tuesday’s soccer news starts with the leaked Garcia Report, FIFA’s internal investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. It’s German outlet Bild releasing that information through the work of reporter Peter Rossberg. The Press Association has the early details. The Telegraph’s Ben Rumsby also looks at what making the report public might mean. Inside World Football’s Paul Nicholson wonders what the full report going public might mean for 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar. Rossberg himself took to Facebook to explain the scope of the report.
“For everyone who has dealt with the issue of fifa and the Garcia report, it is no surprise: No, the report does not provide proof that the world cup was bought in 2018 or 2022 It would also be naive to think that people like garcia or borbely would have been able to find a definitive proof of this,” Rossberg wrote.
That’s the big picture takeaway, of course, but it doesn’t necessarily limit the impact. FIFA leaned on confidentiality for not releasing the entire report in 2014. Instead, they went with a 40-page summary that didn’t do much to squelch the public outcry over the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. This might not either, but it does add to the transparency FIFA promised but hasn’t exactly provided during the scandals that continue to impact the organization.
Goal.com’s Dom Farrell has Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi concerned about their Confederations Cup semifinal against Mexico. ESPN FC’s Mark Ogden’s look at Sochi, the former Olympic host now a World Cup site.
The NY Times’ James Montague explains what the Champions League qualifiers are worth for smaller clubs. Pro Soccer Talk’s Joe Prince-Wright has Jurgen Klinsmann playing down rumors that he might be Sunderland’s next manager. The Set Pieces’ Greg Lea looks at Crystal Palace hiring Frank de Boer as manager.
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