THE World Cup in Qatar is in major doubt raising the possibility that it could be handed to fellow tournament contender Australia.
THE controversial World Cup in Qatar has been plunged into major doubt over “political risks”.
FIFA handed the 2022 tournament to the Arab country in 2010 ahead of fellow contender Australia, sparking uproar over alleged corruption, The Sun reports.
But according to the BBC, a report suggests “Western diplomats have privately stated they do not know whether or not the tournament will take place as planned”.
The Khalifa International Stadium, the first completed 2022 FIFA World Cup venue. Picture: Neville Hopwood/Qatar 2022 via Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
That is because there have been allegations of corruption during the bidding process and the building of the state-of-the-art stadiums.
Not only that, Qatar are currently in a political fallout with neighbouring countries with increasing risk that they will fail to secure contracts over infrastructure.
They have a £153 billion ($257 billion) infrastructure program that is deemed a “high-risk project”.
If Qatar were forced to pull out of hosting it could open the door for Australia, who lost out to the Gulf State in the 2022 bid.
Then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter holds up the name of Qatar during the official announcement of the 2022 World Cup host country in 2010. Picture: AFPSource:News Limited
Thousands of workers are building the stadiums with basic health and safety and have been subjected to life-threatening heat.
According to Human Rights Watch, hundreds of migrant workers have died in the process of trying to get the country prepared for the tournament.
But Qatar have remained bullish in their own statement by claiming the report is “laughable”.
A Qatari woman walks in front of the city skyline in Doha, Qatar. Picture: Kamran Jebreili/APSource:AAP
They said: “The intention to create doubt regarding the tournament, while attempting to cause resentment among Qatari citizens and anxiety among foreign businesses and residents, is as transparent as it is laughable.
“Despite the ambitious title of this report, there is absolutely no risk to the future of the first World Cup in the Middle East.”
