Michael Garcia’s departure as FIFA investigator shows the messed up state of football’s governing body

Michael F. Garcia’s abrupt resignation as FIFA’s independent ethics investigator shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who knew that his task of fixing the abominable mess that is football’s governing body was beyond even his own reach. He still did his part since assuming the position in 2012, but all the work he put in the creation of a 430-page report on alleged corruption issues involving the bidding process for the World Cup went up in flames when the same people who put him in this position shrugged off the investigation they asked him to do.

It probably didn’t help Garcia’s cause when his report landed at one simple conclusion. The alleged corruption within FIFA is ingrained deep in the fabric of the organization and no amount of intervention will change its values unless sweeping changes are made in the hierarchy of the sport’s governing body. In his statement announcing his resignation, Garcia lamented the “lack of leadership” within FIFA and while he didn’t specifically identify anybody, it was clear that he was referencing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has come under fire more times in his term than George H. W. Bush during his time as US president.

Garcia’s criticism of FIFA didn’t just end at the top. In the middle of his investigation, Garcia lamented on more than a few occasions the lack of transparency the organization gave him when it came time to securing information that would help him in his report. He was prevented from talking to witnesses and was, at various points during his term, being targeted for removal by the same people who gave him their blessing to launch the investigation.

The circumstances surrounding Garcia’s sudden resignation points to a FIFA system that will always be tied to all the allegations thrown its way unless somebody steps up and puts a kibosh on the madness. Michael Garcia couldn’t get it done, even if you can’t put the blame of his failure squarely on his shoulders.

How could you when the organization that bought him aboard in the first place was the first one to throw him under the bus when his aggressiveness became a little too much for them to bear.

Oh, FIFA.