Friday 31 October 2014 16:01, UK
FIFA chief investigator Michael Garcia has still to reveal whether FA chairman Greg Dyke will be punished for failing to return a luxury World Cup gift – a week after the deadline.
Dyke was one of 65 officials to receive a Parmigiani watch, a present from the Brazilian Confederation, but revealed he was unaware it was worth more than £16,000.
The gift broke FIFA ethics rules and Garcia ordered that the watches were returned to his investigatory chamber no later than October 24.
But, a week after the deadline, FIFA’s chief investigator has yet to announce how many watches have been returned.
Dyke has refused to return the gift and intends to auction the watch on behalf of Breast Cancer Care, the FA’s charity partner.
It is understood that Garcia wrote to the FA chairman for a second time, in correspondence sent on October 24, and requested that the gift was returned immediately.
It is believed that Dyke has still to formally reply and intends to raise money for Breast Cancer Care instead of returning the present.
Dyke has already indicated that he will pay £3,000 tax on the watch after bringing it into the UK without realising its value.
In September, the FA chairman said: “During the FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, a bag with a watch inside was left in my hotel room by the Brazilian FA. I had no idea of the value and it has been left untouched in my office since returning to England.”
Garcia’s investigatory chamber said in a statement on September 18: “Following the deadline all watches submitted will be donated to an independent non-profit organisation or organisations committed to corporate social responsibility projects in Brazil.”
Earlier this month Garcia attended an International White Collar Crime Institute conference in London and declined to disclose whether he was comfortable with Dyke’s arrangement.
“I have made my statement on the watches.” Garcia told Sky Sports News HQ, after a speech at the conference, before politely declining to answer further questions.
FIFA officials are referring all enquiries on the matter to Garcia.
