Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

SPORT

Fifa finally releases damaging report on Qatar’s World Cup bid

FIFA on Tuesday released a long-withheld report on alleged corruption in awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar after more leaks deepened the controversy surrounding the vote.

Published: 28 June 2017 08:44 CEST
Fifa finally releases damaging report on Qatar's World Cup bid
FIFA ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, who drew up the report. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

World football's governing body had previously declined to publish in full the 400-page report into awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 edition to Qatar drawn up by US independent investigator Michael Garcia.

But FIFA's hand was forced when German tabloid newspaper Bild said it had obtained the full report and released extracts on Monday, including revelations that a ten-year-old daughter of one FIFA member had received $2 million in her bank account.

READ ALSO: Ousted Fifa ethics heads were investigating Infantino: sources
Ousted Fifa ethics heads were investigating Infantino say sources
Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Photo: Roman Kruchinin/AFP

FIFA said it was already considering releasing in full Garcia's findings prior to the latest disclosures.

“However, as the document has been illegally leaked to a German newspaper, the new chairpersons (of the committee) have requested the immediate publication of the full report…in order to avoid the dissemination of any misleading information,” FIFA explained in a statement on its website.

“For the sake of transparency, FIFA welcomes the news that this report has now been finally published.”

Garcia had resigned as head of FIFA's investigatory body in December 2014 in protest after FIFA released a 40-page sanitized summary of his report which he disowned, describing it as “incomplete and erroneous.”

The full report referred to an array of suspect financial dealings including the sum of $2 million allegedly sent by a consultant for Qatar, Sandro Rosell, to the ten-year-old daughter of a FIFA official.

The payment was described by an associate as the proceeds from a real estate deal.

But Garcia concluded that “no proof exists linking Qatar and this $2 million to the daughter of executive committee member (former Brazil football chief Ricardo Teixeira).”

Rosell is the ex-Barcelona president who is in prison under investigation for money laundering related to the sale of the Brazilian national football team's television rights.

Controversy

Garcia's investigation also revealed that one former FIFA executive committee member thanked Qatar by mail for a transfer of several hundred thousand euros just after Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament.

The report also documents that three executive members of FIFA were flown to Rio de Janeiro for a private party ahead of the vote to decide who would host the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup in late 2010 and the result of the vote has been the source of enormous controversy ever since.

Following Garcia's investigation, the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee noted that there had  been suspicious behaviour during the bidding process but not enough to call into question the decision to give Qatar the 2022 finals or Russia the 2018 tournament.

Hours before FIFA made the decision to go public former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter had denounced the report's leaking to Bild.

READ ALSO: Infantino 'confident' in 2022 World Cup despite Qatar crisis

Blatter, who announced Qatar as the 2022 hosts in December 2010, told AFP: “The only comment that I can make is that there was a leak as only the ethics commission had the power to publish the Garcia report.”

He added: “I stand by the statements made at the time by Hans-Joachim Eckert, the Ethics Committee chairman, to the executive committee.

“For him the Garcia report did not contain any elements to call into question the attribution of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and 2022 to Qatar.”

Blatter, replaced as FIFA boss in 2016 by Gianni Infantino, concluded: “I've always pointed out and I'll repeat it now, it was Michel Platini's vote in favour of Qatar which influenced the executive committee's vote whereas there was initially an agreement to award 2018 to Russia and 2022 to the United States.”

Platini, then head of European football body UEFA, attended a dinner in Paris with Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France at the time, and future Qatari ruler Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on November 23rd, nine days before the crucial vote.

But Garcia stated that “no proof had been discovered tying Mr Platini's vote” in favour of Doha with Qatar's subsequent investment in France, notably the purchase of Paris Saint-Germain.

Eckert was ousted along with investigator Cornel Borbely in May and the former ethics committee chairmen defended the decision not to release the report sooner.

“The decision to not publish the report so far was completely in line with the federation's previous decisions and the applicable FIFA rules,” they said in a statement sent to AFP late on Tuesday.

They said the report “only is a working document” and added that in December 2014, during a FIFA Executive Committee meeting, it was decided that only Eckert “was to decide on the publication of the report as soon as all procedures, including potential appeals to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), have been closed.”

By Eric Bernaudeau

For members

SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

Have you heard of Schwingen? Switzerland's national sport involves jute shorts, sawdust, and a whole lot of wrestling,

Published: 7 February 2024 14:19 CET
Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

While relatively unknown outside of Switzerland, and largely concentrated in the country’s German-speaking cantons, Schwingen is Switzerland’s homegrown form of wrestling.

In a sawdust ring, two competitors aim to throw each other onto their backs, with both shoulders touching the ground. Each time this is achieved, a point is awarded to the victor.

All this throwing is achieved by grabbing the leather belt attached to the jute shorts worn by the combatants.

As simple as this sounds, there are several styles of Schwingen and hundreds of recorded holds and grips. Size and strength play a significant role in Schwingen, but flexibility cannot be discounted as a factor in determining a champion. 

A proud history 

Like any martial art, the origins of Schwingen are lost to history, but it’s safe to say that just like the Schuhplattler of neighbouring Bavaria – that’s the slappy lederhosen dance – it’s been around for thousands of years, practised by mountain tribes, and later shepherds tending mountain flocks.

The first depictions in art date from the 13th century and the first written records from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, when local church authorities sought to crack down on the rowdy celebrations that these competitions were associated with.

Indeed, Schwingen was massively restricted for hundreds of years, under the fear that it was leading to drunkenness and all manner of other sinning. The large majority of Schwingen meets at this time took place in isolated areas, far from prying eyes. 

All of this changed with the arrival of industrialization, railways and tourism. With many flocking to rural Switzerland for the beauty of outdoor spaces and quaint local customs, Schwingen was brought back to the cities by fascinated spectators and became so popular that it needed to be codified and organized to regulate it.

To this end, the Schwingerverbandes, or Federal Wrestling Association was founded in 1895.

Read More: Schwingen: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s ‘national sport’

More popular than ever 

Schwingen is now a very popular sport within Switzerland, practised by a dedicated core of amateurs and professionals, and watched by far, far more,

Experiencing a further boom throughout the 20th century, boosted by broadcast media, it became mass entertainment. It’s a televised sport, revolving around several key meets, at the canton and federal levels. In addition to youth Schwingen, there have been women’s competitions since 1980.

The Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival is the apogee of competitive Schwingen, held every three years – think of it like a Swiss Olympics. The next will be in Glarnerland in 2025. 

Another massive event for Schwingen fans is the Unspunnenfest, held every twelve years in Interlaken. The next of these will be held in 2029.

Crowned in 2022, Joel Wicki from the canton of Luzern is the current Swiss Schwingen champion. Topping out at just over six feet, and weighing in at 110kg, he’s far from the biggest contestants – but then again, it’s not always strength that matters in a Schwingen bout. 

Want to get involved? 

While Schwingen isn’t exactly the kind of thing that international visitors generally involve themselves in, there is a fully packed calendar of events throughout the year for spectators.

These range from indoor events in the winter months, to the larger outdoor competitions during the summer. You can find out more on the Federal Wrestling Association’s website.

You can also track Schwingen competitions, and find out where to watch them on TV or online, via Sport.ch.

SHOW COMMENTS