ZURICH — FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia has been kept busier than he expected trying to clean up world soccer — and his workload will probably increase after a whistleblower hotline opens this month.
Garcia told The Associated Press in an interview that FIFA investigations take "more of my time than I originally anticipated" since his appointment last July.
"I'm a busy man. It's five months in and I think where we are is a very good place," said Garcia, who completed his first case last month. FIFA President Sepp Blatter's former election rival, Mohamed bin Hammam, was banned for life over financial mismanagement at the Asian Football Confederation.
"Outside of FIFA, I'm happy with the fact that people more and more seem to be getting the sense that this is a place where at least you can raise something, you'll get a hearing, you'll be taken seriously," he said from a Zurich hotel after attending the FIFA player of the year ceremony. ...
See the whole story here, courtesy of the WSJ.
Kicking Back Comments: This is a really interesting article. Honestly the more I read about Garcia, the more I like him. He seems to have his head in the right place when it comes to dealing with such actions from an area he is unfamiliar ... that being international football.
I still have (2) lingering thoughts.
First, is why an American (in large part) was asked to clean up FIFA? His credentials are impeccable, but why him?
Second, is what is going to happen when some of these trails lead to Sepp, as indeed they should? Will Garcia cross swords with him, or will Sepp be finishing his (self announced) end of his term when that happens?
Tick, tock ... tick, tock.
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