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British MP urges SFO to reconsider World Cup corruption investigation

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Rummenigge: Garcia report will decide Qatar World Cup fate (2:16)

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge gives his views on the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and suggests that Michael Garcia's report could determine the fate of their world cup bid. (2:16)

A British MP has urged the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to reconsider its decision not to investigate allegations of FIFA corruption during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, reports the BBC.

Russia and Qatar won the bids to hosts the 2018 and 2022 tournaments respectively, despite the voting process since coming under intense scrutiny.

Conservative MP Damian Collins called for an investigation after media reports in the U.S. that Chuck Blazer -- a former FIFA executive between 1996 and 2013 -- recorded conversations with football officials at the London 2012 Olympics after being recruited by the FBI.

"If there is evidence that Chuck Blazer held meetings during the Olympics, that would come under the jurisdiction of the SFO," Collins told BBC Sport. "I want to see if they would now be prepared to act."

The SFO can investigate "cases which undermine UK commercial/financial PLC in general and the City of London in particular."

FIFA declined to comment about the allegations concerning Blazer when contacted by the BBC.

World football's governing body has been heavily criticised after its president Sepp Blatter announced that FIFA ethics investigator Michael Garcia's report into alleged voting corruption will not be made public.

The report was handed over to FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, who is due to examine the findings.

FIFA has expressed regret last week after its video launching the logo for the 2018 World Cup showed the disputed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia.

Blatter, meanwhile, has admitted the Qatar World Cup cannot be played in the summer due to average temperatures rise to nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Farenheit) during the World Cup's traditional June-July slot, with calls for the tournament to be moved to May as European clubs are against a winter competition.