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GENEVA - The American lawyer who led the investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process resigned from the FIFA ethics committee on Wednesday in protest over the handling of his findings.Michael Garcia cited a lack of leadership at the top of FIFA in a resignation statement. He also said he has lost confidence in the independence of his ethics committee colleague, German judge Joachim Eckert.Though Garcia did not identify Sepp Blatter by name, he also revealed that the FIFA executive committee — led by the longtime president — made a failed complaint of unethical conduct against the former U.S. Attorney in September.Speaking at the Club World Cup in Marrakech, Morocco, Blatter told The Associated Press he was stunned by Garcias decision to resign.Im just surprised, Blatter said. Its all what I can say. Just that.Garcia quit a day after the FIFA appeals panel rejected his challenge of Eckerts summary of the confidential 430-page investigation dossier. Last month, Eckert moved to close the case on the World Cup bidding contest because of lack of evidence.Russia won the right to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament.After Eckerts summary was made public, Garcia claimed that the German judge had misrepresented his work and then launched his failed appeal.(My) report identified serious and wide-ranging issues with the bidding and (World Cup host) selection process, Garcia wrote Wednesday, adding that Eckerts decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, (but) it is the lack of leadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end.In his resignation statement, Garcia also questioned how FIFA can truly change after years of scandals and criticism.No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organization, Garcia wrote.Garcia also revealed that the executive committee tried to have disciplinary proceedings opened against him for allegedly violating the Code of Ethics through my public comments. The attempt was rejected by the chairman of the FIFA disciplinary panel, at a time when Garcia pressed for publication of key details from his report.FIFA vice-president Michel Platini, also the UEFA president, called Wednesdays events a new failure for FIFA.FIFAs ethics committee was created to increase transparency at the organization, thats what we wanted, but in the end it has just caused more confusion, Platini, the former France great who has refused to back Blatter for re-election but will not stand himself in the May 29 vote.Garcia won support from Congress, with Sen. Bob Casey, describing his resignation as understandable following repeated obstruction from FIFA and calling for full release of the investigation report.Michael Garcia was a strong voice for accountability and transparency in an organization famously lacking either, said Casey, who has criticized Qatars labour policies and treatment of migrant workers.Garcia was appointed in July 2012 with the priority of probing the controversial 2018-2022 bidding contests. The investigation has helped reveal how willing Blatters organization has been to confront some of its deep-rooted problems.For the first two years ... I felt that the ethics committee was making real progress in advancing ethics enforcement at FIFA, Garcia wrote. In recent months, that changed.FIFA said it would appoint an interim replacement for Garcia before electing a new ethics prosecutor in Zurich next May.Since Garcia and his investigation team submitted their work in early September, clear splits emerged between the prosecutor and the judge. Eckert has seemed closer to FIFA in his approach and belief in how the ethics panel could use its powers, much to Garcias increasingly obvious frustration.Their working relationship was damaged by Eckerts 42-page report published by FIFA last month which suggested that the World Cup bidding probe should be closed for lack of strong evidence of wrongdoing.(W)hen viewed in the context of the report it purported to summarize, no principled approach could justify the Eckert Decisions edits, omissions, and additions, Garcia wrote.Eckert said any corrupt and rule-breaking acts were of limited scope and did not influence the result of the December 2010 votes of the FIFA executive committee.Still, with Garcias work kept sealed against his wishes by strict FIFA Code of Ethics rules, critics and others have relied only on Eckerts word about the evidence against Russia, Qatar and the seven other bid candidates.It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert Decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process, Garcia wrote.Garcia passed up the chance to stay and pursue his appeal against Eckert at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which would likely take several months.I have concluded that such a course of action would not be practicable in this case, he said.Still, prosecutions launched by Garcia against five senior football officials for alleged wrongdoing in the World Cup campaigns will continue. Those cases can be led by his ethics investigation deputy, Zurich-based former public prosecutor Cornel Borbely.Germany great Franz Beckenbauer, a voting member of the FIFA executive committee in December 2010, is the highest profile of the five accused men.Three current board members — FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Michel DHooghe of Belgium and Worawi Makudi of Thailand — also face sanctions for their actions during contests marred by claims of bribery, collusion and favour-seeking.They are scheduled to attend a two-day executive committee session starting Thursday in Marrakech, Morocco.On Friday, Blatters ruling panel will discuss publishing all or parts of Garcias file, and could finally see the document for themselves.As part of Garcia-Eckert peace talks last month, they invited FIFA audit panel chairman Domenico Scala to analyze the investigation report. Scala can decide what the board should see before taking the next steps on a case that seems close to being shut down more than four years after the vote.___AP Sports Writer John Leicester in Marrakech, Morocco, contributed to this report. Anthony Rendon Jersey .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Joe Ross Jersey . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. https://www.cheapnationals.com/ . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. Jake Noll Nationals Jersey . Thats the feeling that eight Canadian Football League teams are experiencing right now in advance of the expansion draft to stock the Ottawa Redblacks. Frank Robinson Jersey . The three Calgary natives will compete after the sport was skipped by the Vancouver Games in 2010 but later included on the program for Sochi, Russia. The fight to include womens ski jumping prior to Vancouver went to the courts only to have the Supreme Court of Canada rule against the athletes appeal in 2009.NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Saints have placed their franchise tag on Jimmy Graham in order to protect the clubs rights to its star tight end through next season. The move means Graham, barring a holdout, will almost certainly play for New Orleans next season for no less than the tight end franchise tag of $7.04 million. It is also possible, under the NFLs collective bargaining agreement, that Graham could be tagged as a receiver because of how often he lined up split wide from the line. That would carry a tag of $12.3 million. However, since the Saints only placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Graham, according to a report from ESPN, teams can still try to sign the star but the Saints would be able to match any offer or be compensated with two first-round draft picks from the signing team. Once Grahams tag has been determined, the two sides could continue to argue that matter before an arbitrator. That appears to be the likely process as both side aim to determine precisely how much negotiating leverage they have before hammering out a long-term deal. Similarly, the Saints use their franchise tag on quarterback Drew Brees in March 2012, then needed a little more than four months to work out the five-year,, $100 million deal Brees signed shortly before training camp.dddddddddddd Like Brees, Graham is represented by Creative Artists Agency. They do not have the same agent. Graham is represented by Jimmy Sexton and Brees by Tom Condon. The move, confirmed by team spokesman Greg Bensel, was expected as part of what is widely anticipated to be a protracted negotiation between the team and one of the best young tight ends in the NFL Graham has said publicly during the Pro Bowl in February that it would be "unfortunate," if the team used the franchise tag on him, but on Friday he reacted to the move with subtle humour. Afterward, Graham wrote on his Twitter account, "Confirming its officially Franchisefriday... TAG ... I guess Im it." Graham, a former college basketball who played one year of football at Miami, was drafted by the Saints in 2010. Last season, he led the Saints in catches with 86, yards with 1,215 and touchdowns with 16. He has led the Saints in catches in each of the past three seasons, while leading the club in yards receiving and touchdowns in two of the last three seasons. During the past three regular seasons combined, he has 270 catches for 3,507 yards and 36 touchdowns. ' ' '