Allegations that Qatar bribed two members of the executive committee of FIFA could force the world soccer body to annul last December’s awarding of the hosting of the 2022 World Cup to the Gulf state and call for a new vote.
English Football Association (FA) CEO Alex Horne said his organization was requesting evidence of alleged bribery in the Qatar vote as well as the awarding of the 2018 Cup to Russia. Knowing that London lost the vote to Russia for 2018 World cup I hope this is just an attempt from England to rain on their parade and nothing more.
In a letter earlier this month to the chairman of the British parliamentary committee, John Whittingdale, Sunday Times Insight team members John Calvert and Claire Newell asserted on the basis of the paper’s reporting that Qatar had paid $1.5 million each to two FIFA executive committee members, Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast and Confederation of African Football president (CAF) Issa Hayatou, to secure their votes.
The Qatar Football Association has denied allegations of bribery that “they will remain unproven, because they are false.” The association said in a statement: “FIFA’s Ethics Committee investigated certain allegations, and entirely exonerated the Qatar 2022 bid. We have nothing to hide and are prepared to support and cooperate with any further investigations and will be happy to counter any allegations from whistle blowers with real evidence.”
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is being challenged in the organization’s presidential election at the end of this month by Asian Football Confederation head Mohammed Bin Hammam, a Qatari national, said that FIFA would respond once it was in possession of any further evidence of bribery claims. Mr. Bin Hammam has said it was time for Mr. Blatter to step down after 12 years in office because FIFA’s image was tarnished during his presidency by repeated corruption scandals.
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