Three former members of FIFA's Independent Governance Committee (IGC)
"cite blatant sexism within the organisation as another reason the
sport's governing body will never publicise its investigative report
into alleged World Cup corruption," according to ESPN. Alexandra Wrage, who left the IGC in April of '12, said that she pitched the idea of "including a woman in the task force eventually led by prosecutor Michael Garcia, but was silenced by two senior FIFA employees during the world governing body's congress in Budapest that same year." The IGC's role was to draw up a "final list of candidates to lead the independent probe into the bids" for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Wrage: "I turned from the group to face them and one of the men told me, 'Stop putting women forward for these positions.' He told me they would not be acceptable and that I was fighting the wrong battle. ... I said, 'Did you really just say that?' I was startled." Two fellow IGC members, Guillermo Jorge and Mark Pieth, also said that FIFA's Executive Committee "would be very unlikely to appoint a woman" (ESPN, 10/1).