Shortly Before January 10, 2011: Member of FIFA Ethics Committee Resigns

Guenter Hirsch, a member of FIFA’s ethics committee, resigns from his position on the body. In a letter to commission chairman Claudio Sulser, Hirsch comments, “The events of the past few weeks [the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar] have raised and strengthened the impression that responsible persons in FIFA have no real interest in playing an active role in resolving, punishing, and avoiding violations against ethic regulations of FIFA.” FIFA responds to the resignation with a statement saying that Hirsch has not attended a committee meeting for four years. [BBC, 1/10/2011]