Former FIFA vice president Mohamed Bin Hammam is facing allegations that he used contacts in the Qatari royal family and government for deals and favors that led to Qatar securing the hosting rights for the World Cup in 2022.
According to The Guardian, documents gathered by The Sunday Times appear that contrary to the claims of the Qatar 2022 committee, it appears that Bin Hammam does have an official role in the bidding process.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said that if the leaked documents are proven true, then there is an 'overwhelming case for the bidding process to be reopened immediately.' The latest brouhaha say that Bin Hammam facilitated government-level talks through a Thai member of the executive committee of Fifa that would give a million-dollar gas deal to Thailand.
It is also alleged that Bin Hammam met with Russian president Vladimir Putin for bilateral relations talks between Russia and Qatar a month before the voting for the World Cup took place in December 2010. The results of that voting had Russia and Qatar winning the World Cup hosting rights via landslide in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
Another allegation is that Bin Hammam met with Uefa football chief Michel Platini and arranged for the latter's meeting with the Qatari bid committee. He was also said to have used secret slush funds totaling to $1.7 million and this was given to football officials across Asia.
These revelations have led to Japanese electronics giant Sony calling for an investigation on the bidding process, putting pressure on Fifa.
The Qatar bid committee has denied any wrongdoing.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
