Qatar 2022 World Cup bid hit by new corruption claims

ZURICH — Organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have denied “all allegations of wrongdoing” after a British newspaper report questioned the integrity of choosing the emirate as tournament host.

The Sunday Times says it obtained “hundreds of millions of e-mails, accounts and other documents” detailing payments that Qatari official Mohammad Bin Hammam allegedly gave football officials to build support for the bid.

The Qatar 2022 bid committee’s statement on Sunday stressed that Bin Hammam “played no official or unofficial role in the bid committee”.

However, most FIFA voters in December 2010 were Bin Hammam’s longtime colleagues.

The Qatari statement added that “we vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing. We will take whatever steps are necessary to defend the integrity of Qatar’s bid and our lawyers are looking into this matter”.

FIFA declined comment on the report that questions the integrity of choosing Qatar as 2022 World Cup host.

The Sunday Times said a “senior FIFA insider” was its source for “hundreds of millions of e-mails, accounts and other documents” detailing payments which the paper said Qatari official Mohammad Bin Hammam gave football officials — allegedly to build support for the bid.

Bin Hammam, a key FIFA power broker until being expelled from football in 2012 for financial wrongdoing as Asian Football Confederation president, reportedly paid a total of $5 million in gifts and legal fees to executive committee colleagues and dozens of African football leaders.

The claims have revived calls for the 2022 World Cup vote to be re-run. Qatar defeated the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

FIFA ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia has received the fresh evidence to help his investigation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests, the newspaper reported.

FIFA has not commented on details of Garcia’s work since he was appointed to the independent ethics committee two years ago.

Instead, football’s governing body suggested in a statement to “please kindly contact the office” of Garcia’s law firm in New York City.

The law firm, Kirkland and Ellis, did not respond immediately to requests for comment, or to confirm that Garcia will meet Qatar bid officials on Monday in Oman.

Garcia and his investigating team have been travelling across the world meeting officials who worked for the nine candidates ahead of the December 2010 votes by FIFA’s executive board. Several voters, including Bin Hammam, have since been suspended or resigned while implicated in financial corruption.

FIFA board member Jim Boyce, who joined in 2011 after Bin Hammam was initially suspended, said Sunday that he could support a re-vote if bribery was proved.

“If Garcia’s report comes up and his recommendations are that wrongdoing happened for that vote for the 2022 World Cup, I certainly as a member of the executive committee would have absolutely no problem whatsoever if the recommendation was for a re-vote,” Boyce told the BBC’s Sportsweek radio program.

Garcia must submit his report to FIFA ethics judge Joachim Eckert of Germany, who can recommend sanctions.