Red card for Qatar?

Qatar allegedly offered FIFA as much as $880 million in secret payments at key stages in its efforts to host the 2022 World Cup, fuelling further allegations of corruption in the controversial bid.  Leaked files seen by The Sunday Times appear to show that Doha offered football’s governing body $400 million 21 days before the decision to hold the tournament in the tiny Gulf state was announced.

Executives from the Qatari state-run broadcaster Al Jazeera made the offer at the height of campaigning over the tournament, in a clear breach of FIFA’s own anti-bribery rules, the UK newspaper claimed.  The new allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid may be “the most damaging so far,” a leading analyst told Arab News on Sunday. Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of Cornerstone Global, a management consultancy focused on the Middle East, said that the revelations posed a risk to both FIFA and companies currently working on Qatar World Cup projects.

“It is not about individuals but about institutions on both sides: FIFA itself and Qatari channel Al Jazeera. FIFA will now need to decide on how it will investigate itself, rather than individuals connected to it. The reputation of FIFA risks permanent irreversible damage,” Nuseibeh was quoted by Arab News.  

“This also carries substantial risks to companies currently working on Qatar 2022 projects. With a real increase in risk in Qatar not hosting 2022, businesses involved will want reassurances from Qatari authorities on what could happen to them if Qatar is indeed stripped of the right to host.”