The state of Qatar secretly ordered $400 million to FIFA just 21 days before the governing body controversially decided that the 2022 World Cup would be held in the tiny desert country, new leaked documents have revealed in an explosive report in the The Sunday Times. The files, seen by The Sunday Times, show that executives from the Qatari state-run broadcaster Al Jazeera signed a television contract making the huge offer as the bidding campaigns to host the World Cup were reaching a climax.
The files show that executives from the Qatari state-run broadcaster Al Jazeera signed a television contract making the huge offer as the bidding campaigns to host the World Cup were reaching a head. pic.twitter.com/i6gjfHYAbj
— Security Studies Group (@SecStudiesGrp) March 10, 2019
Moreover, the Sunday Times has also seen a copy of a second secret television rights contract for a further $480 million that was offered by Qatar three years later — shortly before FIFA cut short its investigation into corruption in the bidding process & suppressed its findings. Meaning, FIFA was directly ordered almost $1 billion by the Qatari state at crucial times in its efforts to host and retain the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
Exclusive investigation by the Times: #Qatar’s secret $880m World Cup payments to Fifa
A lucrative TV deal led to #Qatar being awarded the 2022 tournament 21 days later. Where Twitter’s “neutral Gulf experts” to comment about it?https://t.co/QJsjNsvGZx— Nervana Mahmoud (@Nervana_1) March 10, 2019
$880 MILLION BRIBE—and I doubt that’s the extent of it. I’m not sure how they can keep the World Cup after this has come to light. https://t.co/u5KH2rmP2J
— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) March 10, 2019
شاهدت صحيفة#صنداي_تايمز البريطانية العريقة، نسخة من اتفاقية حقوق تلفزيونية #سرية ثانية بقيمة (480) مليون دولار أخرى، عرضتها #قطر بعد ثلاث سنوات وقبل وقت قصير من قيام #الفيفا بفض تحقيقاتها سريعا، في اتهامات قطر افساد عملية المنافسة ، والتاثير على نتائج التحقيقات . https://t.co/OGjE5gnjKk
— Jamal Altamimi (@jat56bah) March 10, 2019
Today’s revelations are even more damaging to FIFA itself as they directly impact it. FIFA can’t ignore…this is a substantial increase of risk in relation to Qatar hosting FIFA World Cup 2022.
— Ghanem Nuseibeh (@gnuseibeh) March 10, 2019
Leading players in shadowy World Cup deals between Fifa and Qatar https://t.co/ocB9JwwlpI pic.twitter.com/38v0mjZ9ZZ
— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) March 10, 2019
While today’s revelations are indeed damaging to FIFA itself, it should serve as a reminder that for half a century, Qatar has been exceptionally successful at buying and obtaining influence to advance its interests not only with FIFA but in Washington, D.C. as well.
