FIFA Ethics Investigator Michael Garcia Resigns

FIFA ethics investigator Michael Garcia has resigned after criticising the handling of his report into the World Cup bidding process.

The American lawyer, who led the investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process, cited a "lack of leadership" at the top of football's world governing body.

He also said he had lost confidence in the independence of his ethics committee colleague, German judge Joachim Eckert.

His resignation comes a day after the FIFA appeals panel rejected his challenge of Mr Eckert's summary of the confidential 430-page investigation dossier.

Mr Eckert had last month closed the case on the World Cup bidding contest - which saw Russia win the right to host the 2018 tournament and Qatar awarded the 2022 competition - because of lack of evidence.

Mr Garcia had appealed, claiming Mr Eckert misrepresented his work.

"(The) Eckert Decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, (but) it is the lack of leadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end," Mr Garcia wrote in his resignation statement.

"No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organisation."

Mr Garcia also revealed that the FIFA executive committee led by President Sepp Blatter tried to have disciplinary proceedings opened against him in September for "allegedly violating the Code of Ethics through my public comments".

The attempt was rejected by the chairman of FIFA's disciplinary panel.

Mr Garcia's investigation was designed to help demonstrate the willingness of Blatter's organisation to confront some of its deep-rooted problems.

"For the first two years ... I felt that the ethics committee was making real progress in advancing ethics enforcement at FIFA," Mr Garcia wrote.

"In recent months, that changed."

"(W)hen viewed in the context of the report it purported to summarise, no principled approach could justify the Eckert Decision's edits, omissions, and additions.

Mr Eckert said any corrupt and rule-breaking acts were of limited scope and did not influence the result of the FIFA executive committee vote in December 2010.

But Mr Garcia's work was not released - against his wishes - with only Mr Eckert's response to the evidence against Russia, Qatar and the seven other bid candidates made public

"It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert Decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process," Mr Garcia wrote.

He said he would not stay and pursue his appeal against Mr Eckert at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying: "Such a course of action would not be practicable in this case."

Asked for his reaction to the news at the World Club Cup in Morroco, Blatter said: "I'm just surprised. It's all what I can say. Just that."

UEFA president Michel Platini said Mr Garcia's resignation was a "new failure" by football's governing body.

He said: "FIFA's ethics committee was created to increase transparency at the organisation, that's what we wanted, but in the end it has just caused more confusion. Mr. Garcia's resignation is a new failure for FIFA."