MANILA // Sepp Blatter repeated his view on Sunday that Qatar was in no danger of being stripped of the 2022 World Cup as new questions arose over the awarding of hosting rights.
The Fifa president gave his backing for the tournament after a British newspaper published fresh allegations about the bidding process.
“Ladies and gentlemen, believe me, if we see what has been said, what’s told around the world, it’s by those who are not involved exactly [in] what happens in football,” Blatter told delegates at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awards.
“The World Cup 2022 will be played in Qatar,” he said to applause and a few whistles of support from the 400 delegates at the gala dinner in the Philippines capital.
Blatter was speaking after the Sunday Times said Britain’s bidding team for the 2018 World Cup, awarded to Russia, had a secret database containing fresh allegations about the 2018 and 2022 hosting races. The database includes unproven claims of vote buying and trading linked to both Qatar and Russia’s successful bids, according to the newspaper.
The report comes after controversy over Fifa’s in-house inquiry into the bidding process, when investigator Michael Garcia said the world body had misrepresented his findings.
On Sunday, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke insisted there was “no need” to publish the investigation in full, despite widespread calls to make it public.
Blatter appeared untroubled by the continuing saga, taking the opportunity to throw his weight behind preparations for Qatar’s World Cup.
“It is the second time we will go to organise the World Cup in Asia. The first was a lovely combination, a co-hosting, between Japan and Korea Republic. It was a great success, a big success.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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