Qatar rejects claims that it bought World Cup

31 May 2011

Qatar responds to publicly released email claiming it ”bought” event

Qatar has released a statement rejecting claims made that it ”bought” the 2022 World Cup.

”Qatar 2022 categorically deny any wrongdoing in connection with their winning bid. We are urgently seeking clarification from Fifa about the statement from their General Secretary,” said the Bid Committee in a press released statement on 30 May.

Qatar’s 2022 Bid Committee released the statement in response to a publicly released email from Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke, which said that ‘’[Hammam] thought you can buy Fifa as they [Qatar] bought the World Cup.’’ Fifa’s suspended vice-president Jack Warner publicly released the email from Valcke after he was suspended from Fifa’s executive committee along with Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam on 29 May.

Valcke has confirmed that he sent the email, but claimed that the email was intended to remain ‘’private’’.

Fifa suspended Walker and Hammam as it investigates allegations of bribery.

Fifa is currently investigating claims by the UK-based Sunday Times newspaper that the Qatar Football Association (QFA) bribed two members of the Fifa voting panel to support the Qatari bid. Fifa has refused to rule out a re-run of the vote to select the host for the 2022 event if allegations of corruption are proven.

The QFA has branded the allegations of corruption as “…serious, unsubstantiated and false…’’ (MEED 24:5:11).

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