A senior Fifa official’s son was given a job at a private Qatari hospital shortly after the decision to award the country the 2022 World Cup.
Pieter D’Hooghe, who is the son of the Belgian executive committee member and medical officer Michel D’Hooghe, was approached by a surgeon at Aspetar hospital in February 2011 and asked if he would start a “visiting surgery” at the clinic.
In 2012, he started working at Aspetar permanently and moved with his family to Doha.
Pieter’s father, Michel, was one of 22 people who awarded Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. It is unclear which bids he supported because the votes are cast in secret.
However, the news about the approach to his son only three months after the decision in Switzerland will raise questions about the relationship between some officials and countries that bid to host the event.
