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UEFA, the administrative body for soccer in Europe, may quit the international soccer body FIFA if a recent report into corruption in the World Cup bidding process is not published in its original form, according to a leading German soccer official.
According to a report in The Guardian, German Football League President Dr. Reinhard Rauball strongly criticized FIFA's whitewashed summary of U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia's investigation into the bidding race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, eventually awarded to Russia and Qatar.
'The result was a breakdown in communication, and it has shaken the foundations of FIFA in a way I've never experienced before,' said Rauball on FIFA ethics committee judge Hans-Joachim Eckert's summary of Garcia's 430-page report.
'As a solution, two things must happen,' Rauball continued. 'Not only must the decision of the ethics committee be published, but Mr. Garcia's bill of indictment too, so it becomes clear what the charges were and how they were judged.'
'Additionally, the areas that were not evaluated [in the report] and whether that was justified [should be published]. It must be made public. That is the only way FIFA can deal with the complete loss of credibility,' Rauball charged.
'If this doesn't happen and the crisis is not resolved in a credible manner, you have to entertain the question of whether you are still in good hands with FIFA,' Rauball added. 'One option that would have to bear serious consideration is certainly that UEFA leaves FIFA.'
Eckert has already refused to publish Garcia's full report, and FIFA considers the case closed. FIFA has additionally denied recent reports saying that the 2022 World Cup will be moved from Qatar.
Title : German soccer body: UEFA may quit FIFA over unpublished World Cup ...
Description : 4 1 UEFA, the administrative body for soccer in Europe, may quit the international soccer body FIFA if a recent report into corruption in th...