Reports of Qatar losing its right to host the 2022 World Cup appear to be overblown, shattering hopes of Australia sliding in to steal the world-stopping event.
A recent scoop from German publication Der Spiegel reported FIFA boss Sepp Blatter to have said that an “arrogant” Qatar would lose the international football tournament amid reports of corruption and international scheduling conflicts.
FIFA responded on Wednesday by labelling the claim as “simply wrong”.
“FIFA wants to reiterate that the information provided by the sources does not reflect what actually happened at the dinner in question, which was held during the FIFA president’s visit to Oslo in October,” the football governing body said in a statement.
“The claims made by the sources are unfounded. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar.”
“The topic of Qatar and the 2022 World Cup were talked about very briefly.
“Dates were discussed as there are presently discussions taking place to determine when will be the best time to stage the tournament in that calendar year.”
Blatter is set to visit Australia early next year to examine Australia’s role in hosting the January 9-31 Asian Cup, but reports of Australia pinching the 2022 event from Qatar now appear to be overblown. Thanks News Corp.
Despite Der Spiegel quoting Blatter as saying, “The World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” the controversial European winter format of the tournament looks set to go ahead, making it the first time the Cup will be hosted in the Middle East.
FIFA is set to approve a major overhaul of the tournament’s scheduling, allowing the World Cup to run over December and January, interrupting the European football calendar, instead of its traditional mid-year slot in order to accommodate Qatar’s brutal summer heat.
In another blow to Australian hopes, Down Under likely would not represent FIFA’s first replacement option should Qatar lose its role as host. The United States polled second in the FIFA votes, 14-8, while Australia received just a single vote to host the Cup.
Photo: Lawrence Griffiths/Getty Images
