BASEL: Mark Pieth, the FIFA reform adviser, believes the row between Michael Garcia and Hans-Joachim Eckert makes publication of the full World Cup bid scandal investigation even more essential writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Pieth, Swiss governance expert, was assessing the disastrous effect on FIFA’s tattered reputation of the latest remarkable twist in the process.

He said: “This conflict between Mr Eckert and Michael Garcia shows clearly why the full investigation report into suspicions about these World Cup awards must be published very soon so that everybody can form a clear view.”

Pieth was called in by FIFA in the summer of 2011 after the scandals of both the World Cups vote and the FIFA presidential election.

His independent governance committee was responsible for a number of reforms including the creation of the twin-chamber ethics system . . . which Eckert and Garcia were subsequently appointed to lead.

A further call for full publication came from a former member of the governance committee, Sunil Gulati.

The American, subsequently elected to the FIFA executive committee, joined with CONCACAF president Jeff Webb to issue a joint statement in the wake of the ethics experts’ fall-out.

They said: “Given the disagreement between the two chairmen of the investigatory and adjudicatory chambers of the ethics committee and to ensure complete transparency, we believe the full report … should be made public as soon as possible.”

##########