Whistle-blower: Woe betide anyone reporting ‘FIFA corruption’

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Story highlights

Soccer whistle-blower hits out at FIFA's "culture of self-protection"

Phaedra Al-Majid unhappy FIFA rejected her breach of confidentiality complaint

"Dismissing my complaint...is clear violation of its own rules," she says

FIFA declares American lawyer Michael Garcia's appeal "not admissible" over his complaint

CNN  — 

A soccer whistle-blower has criticized FIFA’s “culture of self-protection” after the world governing body rejected her claim over a breach of confidentiality as the World Cup bidding saga rumbled on.

“Woe be to any other person who cares enough to risk personal safety to report FIFA corruption,” said Phaedra Al-Majid, who was in charge of international media relations for the Qatar 2022 bid until 2010, in a public statement.

Al-Majid along with another whistle-blower – Australian Bonita Mersiades – gave evidence to American lawyer Michael Garcia, who has investigated the bidding process surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The women claim Garcia ensured they would have anonymity in his investigative report – and that he broke his promise.

It’s a report that has become mired in controversy after German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert – FIFA’s independent ethics adjudicator – published a summary of the evidence the American had collated.

The two women insist that assurances were given to them both in private and public that they would not be compromised after agreeing to give evidence “through a sense of natural justice and a desire to bring closure to a long running chapter in our lives.”

The women were not identified by name, but they contend they were “clearly identifiable” in the summary of Garcia’s report.

However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee said Tuesday there “were no grounds to justify the opening of disciplinary proceedings” given “the breach of confidentiality claim had no substance.”

Referring to Eckert’s summary, FIFA said; “No names were mentioned in the statement and any information provided was of a general nature. Thus, there was no divulgence of any information of a confidential nature.”

FIFA added that Garcia “in his letter to Disciplinary Committee chairman Claudio Sulser, concluded that the complaints by the participants in the investigation were without merit and that, as far as he was concerned, there had been no infringements by Eckert.”

FIFA’s ruling drew an incredulous response from Al-Majid.

“The conclusion of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee dismissing my complaint against Herr Eckert for breaching my confidentiality is a transparent avoidance of a clear violation of its own rules,” she said.

“I cooperated with Mr. Garcia’s investigation for over two-and-a-half years under a clear, unqualified promise of confidentiality. He asked me for my confidentiality and repeatedly promised me mine.

“I kept my promise. Herr Eckert breached that confidentiality. I did not. The Disciplinary Committee’s avoidance of this undisputable violation is emblematic of its culture of self-protection.”

While admitting she had made public statements in the past, Al-Majid insisted they were made “long before I entered into a confidentiality agreement with Mr. Garcia.

“I made no public statements during the entire period of Mr. Garcia’s investigation.

“I relied on FIFA’s promise of confidentiality and continued to honor my promise until Herr Eckert published his ‘Summary.’

“My recent public statements have only been made AFTER Herr Eckert’s identification of me in blatant violation of FIFA confidentiality rules.”

On Twitter, Al-Majid posted an explanation FIFA had sent her, which seemed at odds with the organization’s media release explaining why it had dismissed her complaint, given the letter suggested she was not entitled to complain as she was no longer working in football.

Former head of corporate affairs in the Australia 2022 bid Mersiades was equally critical of FIFA.

“FIFA is nothing if not predictable, and has today surpassed itself in obfuscation and deflection,” Mersiades said in a public statement.

“These issues are no longer just about winning bids from Russia and Qatar and losing bids, including Australia. It is about FIFA and the bid process that lent itself to abuse.

“In FIFA’s world, there is no room for ordinary fans. FIFA’s world is littered with corruption, mismanagement and self-interest.

“The real football world – the many millions of players and billions of fans – deserve a better FIFA, one that is governed by people who make decisions and take action in a transparent manner and who are held accountable in the best interests of the sport and civil society.

“Will a new, independent candidate stand-up to depose the President and build a new FIFA?”

Eckert’s report cleared Russia and Qatar, who will stage the 2018 and 2022 events respectively, of wrongdoing and instead was critical of rival bidders England and Australia.

Soon after its publication, Garcia said the 42-page summary contained “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations,” as he too lodged an appeal with FIFA’s appeals committee.

However, on Tuesday FIFA declared Garcia’s appeal “not admissible.”

“The said statement about the report on the inquiry into the 2018-2022 Fifa World Cup bidding process does not constitute a decision and as such is neither legally binding nor appealable,” said FIFA.

“Mr. Garcia has just received the decision and is reviewing it,” said a spokesman for the American lawyer. “We have no further comment at this time.”