Football: Platini backs calls for Garcia report to be published

Uefa president Michel Platini has called on American investigator Michael Garcia's report into the bidding which led to the controversial awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to be made public. -- PHOTO: AFP
Uefa president Michel Platini has called on American investigator Michael Garcia's report into the bidding which led to the controversial awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to be made public. -- PHOTO: AFP

MADRID (AFP) - Uefa president Michel Platini has called on American investigator Michael Garcia's report into the bidding which led to the controversial awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to be made public.

"I would like the report to be made public in its entirety, in line with the rules of the ethics committee and, of course, if something bad has been done, there ought to be a new vote," he said speaking at a meeting in Madrid on Wednesday.

Platini was one of 14 Fifa executive committee members to vote for the Qatari bid, which has since been dogged by claims of corruption.

Fifa cleared both bids this month and ruled out a re-vote for the tournaments.

However, they have refused to publish Garcia's report, claiming it would violate Swiss law, where world football's governing body is based.

"Fifa would violate not only its own rules and regulations but also Swiss law by making public the report in question," Fifa president Sepp Blatter argued.

Garcia, though, slammed a summary of his report by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of Fifa's independent ethics committee, as "incomplete and erroneous".

And the former New York federal prosecutor has stated his intention to appeal against the findings in Eckert's report.

The chairman of England's Football Association, Greg Dyke, has led calls for the report to be published.

Meanwhile, reports on Tuesday claim that electronics giant Sony is to bring to an end its eight-year sponsorship deal with Fifa as the saga drags on.

Platini also addressed the issue of when any World Cup in the sweltering middle-eastern heat of Qatar should be played, insisting that a solution must be found to switch to a winter tournament.

"It is absolutely clear that the World Cup ought to be played in winter and I am sure we will find a solution meeting with all the members of the football family around the same table, for the good of the players, the fans and the World Cup."

The Frenchman also backed a German player to win this year's Ballon d'Or after their success at the World Cup in Brazil despite the record-breaking feats of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo have shared the prize for the past six years and the former won the second of his four World Player of the Year awards in 2010, despite Spain winning the World Cup in South Africa.

"There are many players that deserve the Ballon d'Or, but I am of the opinion that in a World Cup year this prize ought to go to a world champion.

"I said the same thing four years ago when, in my opinion, the prize ought to have been given to a Spanish player."

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