German league president says UEFA could leave FIFA 

In this Friday, July 27, 2012 file photo, Chairmen of the two chambers of the new FIFA Ethics Committee Michael Garcia, left, from the US and Joachim Eckert, right, from Germany attend a press conference, at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland. AP

BERLIN — UEFA would have to consider leaving FIFA if world football’s governing body does not publish in full American attorney Michael Garcia’s report into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, says German Football League President Reinhard Rauball.

Rauball tells Kicker magazine he also wants FIFA to divulge what wasn’t evaluated in Garcia’s report, and “whether it was justified to leave these things out. That has to be made public. It’s the only way FIFA can restore some of its lost credibility.”

Rauball was responding to German judge Joachim Eckert’s ruling that while there were concerns over aspects of the Russia and Qatar winning bids to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, respectively, it “was far from reaching any threshold” to run a re-vote for the tournaments — a ruling that was harshly contested by Garcia.

Garcia indicated he will appeal Eckert’s decision to close the case, saying it was based on “materially incomplete and erroneous” interpretation of his own findings — 430 pages of investigative work sealed by FIFA from public scrutiny.

Rauball warned if Garcia’s findings are not published “and this crisis is not resolved in a credible manner, you have to maybe also talk about the question of whether you are actually still well-served by FIFA.”

Asked about possible consequences, Rauball replied, “One option, which would have to be seriously considered, is certainly whether UEFA should leave FIFA.”

He described Eckert’s ruling as a “communicative meltdown,” and said it “shakes the foundations of FIFA in a way I never experienced before.”