Demonstrators turn up heat on FIFA over 2022 Qatar scandals

THERE are countless reasons to question the wisdom of a World Cup finals in Qatar.

Demonstraters hit FIFA

THERE are countless reasons to question the wisdom of a World Cup finals in Qatar.

Among them are the rights expressed by the demonstrators at the gates of FIFA yesterday protesting for the rights of migrant workers.

They were drawing attention to the scandal of dying construction workers, which led to the head of the Qatar World Cup committee insisting that the tournament is "not being built on the blood of innocents".

There are the problems of fierce heat, of taking such a vast event to a tiny Emirate, and the need for an unprecedented shift to a World Cup in winter.

There have been fresh allegations about business links between a senior FIFA official and Qatar, and there is an ongoing investigation into the entire bidding process.

Yet FIFA insists that when the executive committee debates these various controversies at its headquarters in Zurich tonight (AEST), one thing that will not be discussed is whether the World Cup should be going to Qatar at all.

"There is no doubt that they will play in Qatar," Walter de Gregorio, FIFA’s chief spokesman said. He insisted that the only question to be answered was the timing.

Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, had said that he would push for a vote on moving the tournament to winter but there is growing expectation that a working party will be set up to buy the organisation some time.

A switch to winter is all but certain, but FIFA is likely to consult with professional leagues and broadcasters before confirming the precise dates.

"What is open to question is if we play in winter, and if so is it November, December, January, I don't know," De Gregorio said. The likelihood is for a tournament in November-December.

Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the English Premier League, reiterated his calls for lengthy consultation over the timing of the World Cup, saying it would be “morally reprehensible’ for FIFA to change the world's sporting calendar without proper discussion.

In spite of all the controversies, the Qatar organisers remain confident that nothing will derail their plans to host the tournament. Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, said yesterday that it was pushing ahead with construction and finalising stadium designs.

"Did you hear what was said by FIFA?" Al-Thawadi said. "For us, we are always comfortable and confident that the World Cup will not move from Qatar. It's a confirmation of what we have always said from the beginning. Have we ever had any fears? No, because we are confident of our situation and we are confident of our position - simple."

He admitted to being "appalled" by the allegations about the abuse of human rights, including Nepalese workers in conditions of modern-day slavery, which caused about 50 Swiss and international trade union activists rally at FIFA's gates.

Al-Thawadi said that Qatar was accelerating a number of initiatives to improve workers' rights. "This is not a World Cup being built on the blood of innocents. That is unacceptable to anybody and most definitely to ourselves," he said.

"We are looking at provisions for our contractors and we are in dialogue with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to look at not only the contracts but the mechanisms to enforce them."

Meanwhile, Michael Garcia, FIFA’S head of ethics, has embarked on an investigation of all 2018 and 2022 bidders with France Football magazine this week suggesting one FIFA member, Marios Lefkaritis, of Cyprus, had been involved in property deals linked to Qatar. Al-Thawadi dismissed the allegations as a conspiracy.

"I think sooner or later what we're going to see is a picture of the grassy knoll in the JFK assassination and instead of it being smoke they're going to say it's the Qatari head-dress and it's us," he said. "We've always indicated we've adhered to every rule within Fifa, we actually went to great lengths to ensure that we were within the bidding rules."

Blatter is due to hold a press conference tonight (AEST) following the executive committee meeting to explain the next steps. The great Qatar controversy has another nine years to run.

The Times