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The other game
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 11 - 06 - 2014

Days before the opening whistle blew to declare the start of the one-month-long most prestigious sports competition in the world, the football World Cup, there has been an onslaught of feedback on the Qatar 2022 bribery allegations scandal.
The scandal, which was unveiled by the English Newspaper, The Sunday Times, last week alleged that a former Qatari and FIFA football official, Mohamed bin Hammam, paid more than $5 million to win support for his country's 2022 World Cup bid. Qatar won the bid in a ceremony that took place on 2 December 2010. Since then, Qatar's bid has brought along huge controversy.
The first feedbacks came from the Qataris themselves who issued a statement denying all allegations. But a statement that followed from Britain's representative at the FIFA executive board Jim Boyce on a possible re-vote if the alleged wrongdoing was proven right ignited the world of football.
The issue has been making headlines all over international media outlets, which forced FIFA president Sepp Blatter to speak up. The 78-year-old resisted calls for a re-vote for the 2022 World Cup, explaining that no decision could be taken until FIFA completes a probe of Qatar's winning bid.
According to reports, Blatter however refused to give any comments about the escalation of corruption allegations, which have been publicly exposed recently, involving Qatar's win of the bid. Blatter confirmed that FIFA would make no ruling until officials had fully investigated the alleged corruption and wrongdoing and came up with the findings. The investigation is carried out and lead by US lawyer and FIFA investigator, Michael Garcia, who has been investigating allegations regarding both bids; Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. It is reported that Garcia met Qatari World Cup committee officials in Oman this week and was scheduled to hand his report to a FIFA ethics committee the day before the world body starts its annual congress in Sao Paulo.
“I am not a prophet,” Blatter said at a press conference in Sao Paulo ahead of the Executive Committee meetings and the World Cup competition. “We must wait for the results of the investigation.”
Blatter also reminded reporters that FIFA had already assured Qatar this year that the tournament would go ahead. “All I would add is that this year, in March, the Executive Committee of FIFA said that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was not in question,” he said.
The FIFA president, who intends to run for a fifth mandate, was referring to the issue of the heat in summer and the possibilities of playing the competition in winter instead. There have also been calls to move the tournament to another country. As far as Blatter is concerned, this is out of the question. He never believed in plans B or C. Only one plan would go ahead as in South Africa in 2010 when there were calls to move it from South Africa because of crime and security issues. Blatter had then fought for South Africa and for bringing the World Cup to African soil. The tournament was held in 2010 and was an outstanding success. It seems Blatter, who said at a press conference weeks ago that the 2022 World Cup was a mistake, intends to defend the idea of bringing the World Cup to a country in the Middle East.
Before Blatter made his comments, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees, took the issue to further serious dimensions. The Kuwaiti strongly defended Qatar and opened fire on Europe and the English media saying the accusations against Qatar were motivated by “racism.”
Asia's top Olympic official's feedback came after the pressure had grown. President of the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Michel Platini said a new vote should be called for if corruption was proven. Platini is a FIFA official who voted in the Qatar bid. He told the French newspaper, L'Equipe, that if the corruption allegations were proven there should be a re-vote. “If there is proof of corruption, it will take a new vote and sanctions,” Platini was quoted as saying.
The attacks were “racist actions towards Qatar and Arabs, revealing the malice of those parties in a way that has no justification,” the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) quoted the Kuwaiti sheikh as saying while attending this week's extraordinary general assembly of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA). Al-Sabah said they would confront all acts of racism and would stand with Qatar so that no one can deny it its right to organise the 2022 edition of the World Cup in Doha.
“I stand by my brothers in Qatar and with Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president,” Al-Sabah said.
Hopes remain that the World Cup, which begins today, will help ease the tension among all parties. However, it is believed that the media will not abandon such a golden opportunity to bombard a gathering of the world's football officials with questions on this issue. Blatter himself will be haunted and showered with questions regarding the Qatari bid. Will Qatar steal the show? One thing is definite, there will be another special contest taking place in Brazil besides the 64 matches: Qatar vs the media.


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