Hans-Joachim Eckert no longer belongs to after five years on the FIFA ethics Commission, cold-provided by the FIFA Council. In a DW Interview, the German lawyer says, as he thinks about his Ausbootung.
Just not for the choice. So, the FIFA Council on Wednesday in Bahrain, the presidents of the two chambers of the ethics Committee, the German Hans-Joachim Eckert and chief investigator, Cornel Borbely, from Switzerland, cold. On Thursday, the FIFA Congress then chose the Colombian Maria Claudia Rojas, the Greek Vassilios Skouris as the new chief ethicist of the world football Association. In a DW Interview, Eckert talks about the events in Bahrain.
DW: Mr Eckert, how do you see your Ausbootung at a distance of two days?
Hans-Joachim Eckert: I look very calm and serene. I think that I have to reproach myself for in the five years of work in this Position in the FIFA, nothing. It was clear from the beginning that it is a very difficult Job. Today, I see it with a certain disappointment, in particular as regards the lack of respect towards my Person and my work. If I get to listen to the Congress, we would have worked too little and too slow, so I say: You should look at maybe the milestones, and address, how many procedures we have done in the time. Whether this criticism is justified, for others to decide.
It was because during their term of office at the FIFA confirmation of President Gianni Infantino to your work or the current state of development totally surprised?
There was no feedback. It was also the time of Joseph Blatter. Mr Blatter has said very clear from the beginning that he is in favour of this ethics Commission. He has not intervene, not even when the procedure ran to his deposition. Also, since he has kept absolutely neutral back, what I anrechne him as a person as well from her high. At Infantino, the time was too short to be able to be the judge of that. I think that he has been informed about the procedure. But a direct contact to us.
He has not tried afterwards to explain to them the Whole?
No. Also not previously. The Secretary-General [Fatma Samoura – Note. the editorial Department] has expressed a few weeks ago publicly that she is behind the ethics Commission and that we should be re-nominated. Infantino has not objected to this. He said a bit cautious: “I can’t pronounce but now, in the run-up to the Congress, yet clearly for you. A regular Procedure must be carried out.” But a hint that he wants to get rid of us, there wasn’t.
Take him, then the justification for “less Europeans, more women”?
What can I say? I find it almost amusing when they say: “We need a greater distribution around the world,” and will be replaced by a German, by a Greek. So far, I was still of the opinion that Greece belongs to Europe, but obviously I have a different idea of the map.
FIFA chief Infantino at the Congress in Bahrain
What is the meaning of your deduction for the process of reform of FIFA?
Quite dispassionately considered, are the new people who have the certainly of the legal qualification here about the necessary tools of the trade, with annexes, procedures and advice. This is not the language easily. If you think only changes to the procedure for the German summer fairy tale of 2006: All documents and files are in German. These are not just 200, but thousands of sheets.
It will take – and I’m reluctant to assume that the new chamber and the new people were actually working efficiently. You must not forget that two of the persons are all been replaced.
It sounds as if FIFA did want to make a sharp weapon blunt.
This assessment, I will leave it to the media. I note that you do not want to have the previous people of the ethics Commission. About the reasons one can only speculate. But I think it was certainly a reason that the ethics chamber has lives of their independence also. I don’t mean that in a negative sense. We were independent and also said: We are not afraid of big names, but nothing else than our Job.
Do you think that this decision will be made by FIFA chief Infantino sometime before the feet?
I can’t judge. I don’t know how the Whole thing will have an impact. FIFA has established a new. Also, the Chairman of the Governance Commission, Luis Miguel Poiares Maduro, an extremely highly regarded Person in the whole of Europe, had to go to six months, although he had made an unlikely major advance praise for FIFA. It is his decision that he is not allowed Vitaly Mutko [Ex-Minister of sport of Russia, the chief organizer of the 2018 world Cup] for the Council, is certainly related to it.
DFB chief Grindel stood behind Eckert
How do you see the role of the German football Association in all this history?
I have taken note that Reinhard Grindel [the DFB-Chairman] has been positioned in the run-up to the Congress to be very clear. He said: “The DFB wants to keep these two people in the ethics Commission, because you have made a good work and also very much helped the process of reform initiated is actually being steered in the right direction.” Also in the Council meeting he has set up for us. But he had the Problem, that en bloc has been matched and not about individuals. The FIFA President has submitted a list of we were on it. Should say, the DFB-boss: I want to reject the whole list? He has the voice and the Whole, at least not simply rubber-stamped, is worthy of respect.
And not to say that again clearly: It is here to my Person. I’m not hanging on Erbgründen or something. What bothers me crazy and I am in this respect, man is hurt – is the lack of respect for the FIFA Official, who did not consider it necessary to inform us of your decision or to seek a conversation.
Is the FIFA for you personally once and for all?
FIFA is a global organization. I was for five years a part of the FIFA ethics Commission. I tried the integrity to recover for the Sport of football. We wanted to give FIFA to a large extent the possibility to show to the outside: We are able to provide our Shop to clean up. I think it is a pity. If FIFA has done for me, or not, is completely irrelevant. There are other things in life than FIFA, to say the very clearly.
Hans-Joachim Eckert was Born in 1948, and worked until July 2015 as a judge at the regional court of Munich. The lawyer managed numerous Corruption cases against big business. Since July 2012, he was Chairman of the judicial chamber of the FIFA ethics Commission, the disabled, among others, the former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and Ex-Uefa chief Michel Platini.
The Interview was conducted by Stefan Nestler.