Qatar denies bribing FIFA officials to host 2022 World Cup

According to the US Justice Department documents that were released on Monday, FIFA officials received bribes to vote in favour of awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Doha: Qatar on Tuesday called allegations that it bribed FIFA officials for the right to host the 2022 World Cup "baseless" and said they "will be fiercely contested".

According to the US Justice Department documents that were released on Monday, FIFA officials received bribes to vote in favour of awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Former Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira was among several officials to accept bribes in Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

FIFA officials received bribes to vote in favour of awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar

The late former South American football bosses Nicolas Leoz and Julio Grondona also allegedly received payments to vote for Qatar's candidacy at a 2010 FIFA executive meeting.

The Kremlin has also refuted the allegations.

Qatar said it "strongly denies the allegations contained within the court papers".

The timings of the global football spectacle, due to be held in November and December of 2022, remain unchanged by coronavirus which has already forced the postponement of the European football championships and the Tokyo Olympics.

Both will now take place in 2021.

The allegations are linked to a wide-ranging 2015 corruption scandal that left world football's governing body FIFA in turmoil and led to the downfall of then-president Sepp Blatter.

In the ensuing years, the US government has accused a total of 45 people and various sports companies of more than 90 crimes and of paying or accepting more than $200 million in bribes.

FIFA

"They are part of a long-standing case, the subject of which is not the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process," Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery said in a statement.

"Despite years of false claims, evidence has never been produced to demonstrate that Qatar won the rights to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 unethically or by means that contravened FIFA's strict bidding rules.

"The SC maintains that it strictly adhered to all rules and regulations for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process and any claim to the contrary is baseless and will be fiercely contested", it added.