Alwaght- Qatar has dismissed claims by a Saudi minister that the tiny Persian Gulf state could be stripped of its right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
According to German magazine Focus, Saudi Arabia’s sports minister Turki Al Sheikh alleges that vote-buying in the lead-up to the 2010 vote should nullify FIFA’s decision – and that football’s governing body will make a final call on the matter next summer.
England and the United States are reportedly being lined up as alternative venues for the tournament.
In response, Qatari Ambassador to Germany Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in a post published on his official Twitter page on Saturday, stated Focus had cited sources close to al-Sheikh for the report, and it is Saudi Arabia that is promoting the propaganda against Doha.
This is while FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on February 18 that Qatar World Cup 2022 will be great and the international governing body is satisfied with the ongoing preparations.
"We are confident that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be up to expectations,” he added during a news conference in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Qatar-Saudi tensions have been increasing since June last year when Riyadh led-three other Arab regimes in boycotting Doha.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar on June 5 last year. The Saudi-led regime severed the ties due to what they claimed is Qatar’s support for terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar vehemently denies the allegations, describing attempts to isolate it by its fellow Arab states as a violation of international law.
