Qatar World Cup 2022: Slavery, death and corruption

But this didn’t stop FIFA awarding the 2022 World Cup to this Persian Gulf Emirate of majestic new high-rises, sprawling universities and elegant museums – and blistering heat – beating the United States in a 14-8 vote in the decisive round.

The appropriateness of this decision can only be measured by calls to rerun the vote by leading former FIFA insider Alexandra Wrage, following allegations that former vice-president Jack Warner received payments from ex-Qatari football official Mohamed Bin Hammam. Current Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger has also described it as a “blatant mistake.”

Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam’s Fifa careers ended in disgrace after they were caught up in a corruption scandal surrounding Bin Hammam’s campaign for the presidency of the world governing body in 2011.

A Conservative MP who is campaigning for reform of the world governing body said Fifa should rerun the bid for the 2022 World Cup if an FBI investigation proves corrupt payments were made in connection with the vote. Damian Collins, who used parliamentary privilege in 2011 to state allegations that two Fifa members had been paid to vote for Qatar 2022, said:

“If the FBI investigation can prove that corrupt payments were made to Fifa executives in connection to the decision to award that country the World Cup, they should lose the right to host the tournament and the competition to stage World Cup 2022 should be rerun.”