Qatar allegedly bribed FIFA voters with U.S. dollars

[KC McElroy]

And the news is....? I feel bad for anyone who booked tickets in advance for airfare or hotels in qatar for the summer of 2022 as the World Cup will have been moved already long before then away from the barbecued lizard stands.

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/...urn=sow-wp1508

[KC McElroy]

Good bye shotor 2022. Idiots....

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=reu-fifaqatar

The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team has denied allegations it paid two FIFA executive committee members to vote for the tiny Persian Gulf nation in last December’s hosting decision.

On Tuesday, a British parliamentary inquiry into why England failed to secure the 2018 finals was told by member of parliament Damian Collins there was evidence from the Sunday Times newspaper that Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were paid by Qatar.

Both men have not commented.

“We categorically deny these allegations,” Qatar, which defied the odds to win the vote to host the 2022 finals, said in a statement.

“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 whistleblowers with real evidence.”

Two other executive committee members, Nigerian Amos Adamu and Reynauld Temarii of Tahiti, were banned by FIFA’s Ethics Committee last year after a previous Sunday Times investigation into the World Cup bidding process.

“The Qatar 2022 bid team ran an historic campaign that changed football. We were beset by rumours and allegations from the outset,” the Qatar statement added.

“Bidding, like football, is a rough sport. Happily, our promise of bringing football to new lands and expanding its legacies across the developing world compelled FIFA.”

At the same UK parliamentary inquiry, former English Football Association chairman David Triesman accused FIFA executive committee members Jack Warner, Ricardo Teixeira, Nicolas Leoz and Worawi Makudi of asking for favours in return for their votes for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson hinted to BBC radio on Wednesday that national associations may consider breaking away from FIFA if the world governing body does not act on the stream of allegations.

“I have taken the temperature from other football associations around the world. At the moment… there is a desire to try and work to change FIFA from the inside,” he said.

“If FIFA proves unable to do that I would say that all options are possible.”

Robertson said he hoped FIFA would look to root out possible corruption like the International Olympic Committee had after the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games vote scandal.

[EKBATAN]

lol @ allegedly

they for sure bribed them, no ones gonna go to this world cup anyways

[KC McElroy]

I thought if FIFA insists on using qatar, countries will boycott it and leave it up to 3rd rate soccer countries to challenge for the championship. Now it seems they are going even further and threatening to completely break away from FIFA. I'm sure it will be a lovely World Cup with Pakistan playing Papua New Guinea for the gold medal.

[persian-eagle-13]

lol @ allegedly

they for sure bribed them, no ones gonna go to this world cup anyways

exactly, this is not news

[IranFootball10]

I thought if FIFA insists on using qatar, countries will boycott it and leave it up to 3rd rate soccer countries to challenge for the championship. Now it seems they are going even further and threatening to completely break away from FIFA. I'm sure it will be a lovely World Cup with Pakistan playing Papua New Guinea for the gold medal.

why pakistan and the other one? we will win it Iran 2022 WC Champs

[Sharkie]

I'm confident to say that Qatar will lose their place as hosts for the 2022 World Cup.

[shayan_esteghlali]

i would love it if all the big teams drop out and we become champions...
its not the same as winning it with all the deserved teams, but be realistic we would never win the WC with teams like Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Germany etc.

Iran 2022 WC champions!

[KC McElroy]

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?...-fifaaustralia

FIFA’s World Cup bidding process will remain open to abuse unless changes are made, Australia’s Olympic chief has said in the wake of corruption allegations over voting for the 2018 and 2022 finals.

John Coates said FIFA must make the bidding system more transparent and respond to the damaging scandal, detonated by England’s former FA boss earlier this week.

“Mud does stick… so it is damaging,” the Australian Olympic Committee president told the AAP news agency. “It’s not good for FIFA’s image. I really hope they will address things.

“Even if there’s no evidence, at least there’s a perception out there that there’s something wrong.”

Former English Football Association chairman David Triesman earlier this week accused four FIFA executive committee members of asking for favours in return for World Cup votes.

Members of British Parliament involved in an inquiry over England’s failed 2018 bid said the Sunday Times newspaper had evidence that two other FIFA executive committee were allegedly paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar’s successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.

Triesman gave evidence on Tuesday to the inquiry into why England failed to secure the 2018 finals, which went to Russia, at the vote in Zurich, Switzerland last December.

Australian received only one vote in the 2022 race while England got just two.

“It is important that all bidding systems, whether for Olympic games, World Cups or world championships… are above board and conducted with full integrity,” Coates said.

“The onus is now back on FIFA to investigate its own.”

Coates insisted FIFA needed to follow the lead of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which took action after its own corruption scandal in the bid race to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“We’re in the last month or so of where the 2018 Winter Olympics goes and they’re spending something like $70 million on their bids, these cities,” he said.

“There’s been no suggestion of any impropriety there but there was previously and 14 IOC members were shown the door after Salt Lake City.

“One of the lessons FIFA’s probably learning is that it’s certainly open to abuse,” added Coates, who also said Australia could struggle to fund future World Cup bids unless changes were made.

“Whether there’s money changing hands or not, but in trading votes when you put the decisions on two World Cups together.”

[Shamim]

FIFA members received bribes from Qatar?????? what a suprese

[PFS]

bullshit.
Fifa doesnt take bribes. They are better than that /s

[Abbas85]

Ok thanks for confirming news we all knew the moment the bids were selected. Got any other mind-blowing observations, sherlock holmes?