FIFA urged to drop ‘two-faced’ Qatar as World Cup host

JEDDAH: A report by a leading think-tank has raised questions about Qatar’s suitability to host the 2022 World Cup.

The report, prepared by the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), documents in detail “how a corrupt state is sponsoring terrorism and sports at the same time.”

The report quotes senior US officials as saying Qatar is “the most two-faced nation in the world, backing the US-led coalition against the militants of the Islamic State (Daesh) while providing a permissive environment.”

SAPRAC founder Salman Al-Ansari told Arab News on Tuesday that the analysis was conducted to “highlight the very dark side of Qatar.”

Using “facts and evidence,” the report “sheds light on Qatar’s terrorism, corruption and mistreatment of its



cheap labor,” he said.

“Therefore, FIFA (football’s international governing body) will surely open a comprehensive investigation into this tiny country with dual agendas.”

Several countries in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, have recently taken action against Doha, severing ties and saying it supports terrorist groups such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda.

Qatar’s World Cup bid came under investigation from the FBI and Swiss authorities “for money laundering and racketeering, leading to the resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter,” said the report.

“It is now an explicit fact that the money used in funding and enabling top terrorist groups around the world, is the same money used to buy European football teams and host the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” it added.