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‘Fifa corruption report a joke’

Sports Desk |
Update: 2014-11-13 20:29:00
‘Fifa corruption report a joke’

DHAKA: Fifa’s report into World Cup corruption is now pointless and a joke, according to English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke.

He made his comments after the man who investigated claims of wrongdoing said the report was ‘erroneous’.

‘It’s a bit of a joke, the whole process,’ Dyke told BBC Sport, adding that it looked ‘pretty ugly for Fifa’.

The report cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption allegations but criticised the FA for flouting bid rules.

Later on Thursday, on BBC’s Newsnight, Dyke added that he could not ‘take the report seriously’.

He said, ‘The whole of the way football operates at that sort of level is suspect and has been for many years. I don’t think Fifa is a straight organisation and hasn't been for many years’.

The 42-page document, published at 09:00 GMT on Thursday was put together by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. He based his findings on the work of American lawyer Michael Garcia.

But less than four hours later Garcia, who spent two years investigating claims of corruption for Fifa, issued a statement questioning the report.

He said Eckert’s findings contained ‘numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations’.

Garcia said he intended to appeal to Fifa, the governing body for world football.

BDST: 0710 HRS, NOV 14, 2014

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