FIFA has released its full report investigating alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
Despite explosive reports initially suggesting malfeasance in the voting process of the Russia and Qatar-hosted tournaments, Tuesday’s release does not prove ethical misconduct by either party.
With the world football governing body’s chief Gianni Infantino calling for transparency on the heels of Sepp Blatter’s dubious run, chairpersons of the independent Ethics Committee, Maria Claudia Rojas of the investigatory chamber and Vassilios Skouris of the adjudicatory chamber, published the report Tuesday.
The 2014 report was penned by former FIFA independent ethics investigator Michael Garcia, who quit in protest when only a 42-page summary of the allegations was published. That version acquitted Qatar of corruption claims, and after German outlet Bild released extracts of the full report earlier Tuesday, FIFA followed suit.
While the report does absolve Russia and Qatar’s bids of wrongdoing, the “Garcia Report” mentions a 2-million Swiss-franc payment to the account of the 10-year-old daughter of an unnamed FIFA official.
FIFA’s statement claims that despite numerous calls from Infantino and the 2016 FIFA Council meeting in Mexico City to publish the report, “it is worth noting that the former chairpersons of the Ethics Committee, Cornel Borbely and Hans-Joachim Eckert, had always refused to publish it.”
“Publishing the report in full would actually put the FIFA ethics committee and FIFA itself in a very difficult situation legally,” Eckert told BBC Sport in Oct. 2014.
FIFA’s statement states that it intends to further discuss the “Garcia Report” at a meeting next month, adding, “As the document has been illegally leaked to a German newspaper, the new chairpersons have requested the immediate publication of the full report in order to avoid the dissemination of any misleading information.
“For the sake of transparency, FIFA welcomes the news that this report has now been finally published.”
The 359-page report can be downloaded in its entirety here.
Cristiano Ronaldo won’t feature in Portugal’s Confederations Cup third-place play-off against either Germany or Mexico on Sunday as he meets his newborn twins for the first time.
The 32-year-old left his teammates in Kazan, Russia on Thursday morning to be with the fresh additions to the Ronaldo family, and unconfirmed Portuguese reports construed by BBC Sport state the twins could’ve arrived as early as June 8. They were apparently born to a surrogate mother in the United States, and are called Eva and Mateo.
Ronaldo’s only child before the twins’ birth was Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., who was born in June 2010.
“I’m very happy, finally, to be with my children for the first time,” Ronaldo said on Facebook, with translation from BBC Sport.
Ronaldo featured in every match of Portugal’s Confederations Cup campaign, but was on the losing side after a Claudio Bravo-inspired Chile defeated the Seleccao on penalties in Wednesday’s semi-final. He noted he’d put his “body and soul” into national team duty despite the birth of his twins, and added that “unfortunately we couldn’t achieve our main sporting aim.”
“We were informed before the Confederations Cup that Cristiano had become a father,” a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation read, as translated by ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan.
“The player, despite the birth of his children, had remained at the service of the national team, a gesture which we must underline and praise.
“With it now impossible to win the Confederations Cup, they must free the player so that he can, at last, go and meet his children.”
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
There could be big changes afoot in Ronaldo’s working life as well. Reports state the forward is considering an exit from Real Madrid following probes from the Spanish tax authorities over alleged fraudulent activity. Los Blancos president Florentino Perez said on June 19 that he has yet to discuss the player’s future with him.
Related – Report: Ronaldo eager to leave Real Madrid amid tax fraud investigation
Ronaldo has enjoyed one of the most fruitful periods of any footballer in history. In the last 13 months, he’s won La Liga, the Club World Cup, and two Champions League titles for Real Madrid, plundered last year’s European Championship for Portugal, and on an individual level collected the Ballon d’Or and the Best FIFA Men’s Player award.
With international commitments winding down and the clubs’ pre-season workouts gaining momentum, the summer transfer window is in full swing. Here, theScore catches a breath to assess the best pieces of business so far.
10. Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund)
Reported €12-million transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach
An all-action midfielder in keeping with Borussia Dortmund’s style and who has similar traits to a former Westfalenstadion favourite, Ilkay Gundogan.
How the inventive and industrious Dahoud left for a paltry €12 million doesn’t reflect well on Borussia Monchengladbach – if it was a suspected release clause, it should’ve been lifted a long time ago – but Dortmund is the beneficiary as it enters the Peter Bosz era.
9. Youri Tielemans (AS Monaco)
Reported €25-million transfer from Anderlecht
Tielemans has been on the radar of top European clubs for some time, and AS Monaco’s signing of the central midfielder proves the principality outfit isn’t prepared to rest on its laurels following the 2016-17 season’s adventurous march into the Champions League semi-finals.
The 20-year-old has proven his ability to fulfill a range of tactical roles, developed into a leader at Anderlecht, and can smash in beauties from distance.
8. Franck Kessie (AC Milan)
On loan from Atalanta with obligation to buy
One of the most sought-after players earlier this summer, Kessie wound up at AC Milan in a deal that should eventually cost around €28 million. Not bad, particularly when Chelsea and Manchester United threatened to start a bidding war for the Ivorian.
He’s just 20, and gradually turned from a ball-playing defender and into a physical box-to-box midfielder during a loan spell at Cesena in the 2015-16 season. In the last campaign, he was one of the best midfielder dribblers in Serie A, with his bustling style drawing comparisons to compatriot Yaya Toure.
7. Borja Valero (Inter)
Reported €5.5-million transfer from Fiorentina
A steady and experienced head taken aboard for just €5.5 million. Inter Milan’s approach in the transfer window appears more measured – or simply less mindless – than its tumultuous beginning to the disappointing 2016-17 venture.
Out of regularly deployed Serie A midfielders, 32-year-old Valero was fourth in total key passes (behind Marek Hamsik, Radja Nainggolan, and Valter Birsa – all of whom played more games) and is a technically gifted performer.
6. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
€42-million transfer from Roma
A goalkeeper, left-back, and centre-back should’ve been the first incoming players this summer, but Liverpool safeguarded its title as the most entertaining Premier League side flooding forward with the signing of Salah.
He was a menace when drifting inside from the right for Roma last term – scoring 15 goals and recording 11 assists – and will allow Philippe Coutinho more chances to drop deeper in Jurgen Klopp’s shape and therefore influence proceedings even more.
5. Bertrand Traore (Lyon)
€10-million transfer from Chelsea
Yet another youngster who’s been allowed to leave Chelsea and, just like Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and others, a departure that the west London lot could rue.
Traore blossomed last season on loan at Peter Bosz’s Ajax, making inroads from the right with his meandering runs and a level of strength that’s a hallmark of those who’ve featured in Chelsea’s youth-level dominance in recent years.
With some fine-tuning (he’s sometimes positionally naive and his inconsistent deliveries culminated in no Eredivisie assists in the 2016-17 term) he can wreak havoc for Lyon.
4. Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal)
€53-million transfer from Lyon
Atletico Madrid’s loss was Arsenal’s gain after Lacazette was introduced to fans as the club’s new record signing for a potential £52 million last week.
Although new teammate Olivier Giroud gets the nod ahead of Lacazette for France in Didier Deschamps’ two-man attack, there’s no doubting that the ex-Lyon striker is more adept hassling the opposition’s defence as a sole frontman. This is just how Arsene Wenger looks to shape his strike force.
Related – Analysis: How Lacazette will kick-start Arsenal’s attack
3. Theo Hernandez (Real Madrid)
Reported €24-million transfer from Atletico Madrid
Hernandez struggled with the mandatory keepie-uppies at his unveiling, but don’t let that fool you.
He’s blessed with devastating dribbling skills and strikes a vicious delivery from the flank, and his six-foot frame means he’s doesn’t share the slight, vertically challenged traits of many of his full-back contemporaries. He should’ve been a natural replacement for Filipe Luis at Atletico Madrid, but Real Madrid exercised his €24-million release clause with Los Colchoneros.
With the superb Marcelo first-choice at left-back, expect Hernandez to be commonly deployed in cup games. He could challenge the 29-year-old for minutes very soon, though, as he showed he’s not one to buckle under pressure from his stunning free-kick for loan side Alaves against Barcelona in May’s Copa del Rey final.
2. Dani Alves (Paris Saint-Germain)
Free transfer from Juventus
Alves reuniting with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City made sense, and the transfer tattle gave every indication that it was a done deal.
But then Paris Saint-Germain swooped in for the 34-year-old.
Alves’ maverick status through his adventurous playing style, pursuit of fun, and glitzy suits will help bring the entertainment back to PSG after surrendering the Ligue 1 title to Monaco, but, most importantly, he’s credited with showing the utmost professionalism in training and maintaining his condition – this can only help the dressing room.
With Alves in tow, PSG has a player than can help exorcise the 6-1 demons from last season and, with a couple more additions, can aim to go all the way in the Champions League.
1. James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich)
On loan from Real Madrid with option to buy
James was only behind Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mariano in league goals scored per 90 minutes last season (he bagged eight in total), and he curated the most assists per 90 minutes (six overall) for those who regularly appeared for Real Madrid.
This is despite making only 13 starts en route to Los Blancos’ 2016-17 La Liga triumph.
Incredibly for a man who turns up in Bavaria with luggage weighed down by 17 medals from his club endeavours, James is only 26 and entering the peak of his powers. He’s a ready-made replacement for seasoned duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, and will reunite with a manager who perhaps best understood how to hone his talents away from the international scene.
Under Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, the Colombian was involved in 34 goals in 46 outings as he continued his devastating form from the 2014 World Cup. He’s able to slot into four separate positions of the Italian’s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup – a welcome reprieve from his toils to try and fit into a 4-3-3 and, latterly, a midfield diamond spearheaded by Isco.
Support from France’s highest judicial court – the Court of Cassation – could see Karim Benzema absolved from claims that he aided an attempted blackmail of former international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
Benzema, 29, was accused of acting as an intermediary for blackmailers who obtained a sex tape featuring Valbuena. Benzema’s appeal to have the case dropped was rejected by the Appeal Court last December, but Tuesday’s backing from another court gives the Real Madrid striker hope of ending a scandal which began when he was arrested in November 2015.
“It’s definitely a big victory,” lawyer Patrice Spinosi told France Info, according to BBC News, declaring it a turning point in the investigation.
The prestigious Court of Cassation’s decision will force Benzema’s plea to be heard again by the Court of Appeal’s examining chamber, and BBC News understands it will have no choice but to throw out the case. Still, this eventuality could be months away.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
When blackmailers contacted Valbuena to inform him that they’d got hold of a sex tape, he was asked to appoint a middle-man to negotiate the video not being made public. A police officer, given the false name Lukas, was drafted in as the go-between by Valbuena.
A childhood friend of Benzema’s was asked for help by the blackmailers to strike a deal with Valbuena, and it was then that Benzema allegedly urged Valbuena to pay up while both were with the French national team in October 2015.
Benzema’s lawyer Spinosi alleges that the police officer worked hard in trying to find an agreement between the blackmailers and Valbuena, and that no criminal proceedings would’ve occurred without his dishonesty.
Since Benzema was taken in for questioning over 20 months ago, neither he or Valbuena have represented their country. Benzema is still on the books of Real Madrid, while the alleged 32-year-old victim switched Lyon for Fenerbahce of the Turkish Super Lig in June.
