In 2010, Qatar was awarded the contract by FIFA to host the 2022 World Cup. To this day, the award has been accompanied by allegations of corruption. Episode 1 “The Award” is a throwback to how the tournament got to the desert.
For Tariq Panja, journalist of the “New York Times“, there is no doubt that corrupt procedures were involved in awarding the World Cup. “I don’t think the FIFA Executive Committee members cared what the applicants told them”says Panja: “It was about what you were willing to give them. The members could have been begged by their mothers, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
In the Sport-inside film “The Award” from the documentary series “Qatar – World Cup of Shame”, numerous observers and participants talk about the circumstances of the award of the World Cup to Qatar.
FIFA Executive Committee? “They felt like Masters of the Universe“
In 2010, the FIFA Executive Committee was the body at FIFA that awarded the World Cup. The World Cup promises the host country money, attention and a chance to polish its image. In 2010, 22 men from the FIFA Executive Committee were responsible for awarding the two tournaments in 2018 and 2022, including Franz Beckenbauer from Germany.
“They felt like Masters of the Universe”says Guido Tognoni, former head of media at FIFA: “Of course that made the Executive Committee members, who were vulnerable, even more aggressive. They could decide. And what’s a few million in your pocket compared to a World Cup that you can run?”
Two FIFA members offer their votes for sale and are banned
Executive Committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii were suspended just before the vote. They were filmed with hidden cameras by reporters from the British newspaper Sunday Times offering their votes for sale. FIFA banned both and the vote took place without them. Qatar won in the fourth ballot despite being the least suitable of all the bids to host the World Cup, according to FIFA’s own test reports.
| country | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 |
| United States | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8th |
| South Korea | 4 | 5 | 5 | – |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | – | – |
| Australia | 1 | – | – | – |
The Executive Committee and the double award – “the perfect scenario to make money“
Many observers and the American judiciary agree that the tournament came to Qatar largely through corruption. “It was the perfect scenario to make money”says Tariq Panja of the New York Times: “Two tournaments. Countries competing against each other. Some of them with endless cash reserves. Unlimited resources.” Panja also addresses the eve. “It was the night when the final deals were to be made. Things were really happening at the Baur au Lac, the five-star hotel. The real deals were in the suites, either in this hotel or in other hotels in the city.”
German journalist Jens Weinreich says: “Basically, everything was decided by then. I’m also saying that because I had such a weird experience there. I was in Moscow for about ten days, it must have been around November 2010. They were already celebrating. Since then it’s flowed Weeks already bubbly.” Russia was also surprisingly assigned the 2018 World Cup.
| country | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | 9 | 13 |
| Spain/Portugal | 7 | 7 |
| Netherlands, Belgium | 4 | 2 |
| England | 2 | – |
In May 2015 there were numerous arrests in Switzerland. Investigations from the USA officially stated for the first time: The World Cup in Qatar was bought. Phaedra Almajid, who once worked in the press department of the Qatari bid committee, also reports that the members of the executive committee have been offered millions. Qatar has denied all allegations to this day. Even before the award, Mohammed bin Hammam, a member of the Executive Committee from Qatar, said: “I disagree with everything. But if there’s something, don’t complain to Qatar. It’s the fault of the system that two World Cups are decided on the same day.”
Corruption allegations against South American FIFA officials
A key witness for the prosecution in the US is Argentine Alejandro Burzaco, head of a sports marketing firm. He explained in court: Argentinian Julio Grondona and Brazilian Ricardo Teixeira grabbed Paraguayan Nicolas Leoz in the toilet at FIFA. “They shook him”says Burzaco on the witness stand, “shook and said what the hell are you doing, are you the one not voting for qatar?” Because all three would have received a million dollars from the emirate, according to his description.
“Were you bribed to vote for Qatar?”asks the British journalist Nick Harris. “It’s believable. Do we have all the evidence? No. I’d like to think that one day we really know what happened. But these guys are getting older and dying. Maybe we’ll never know.” Grondona died in 2014, Leoz in 2019. Texeira has evaded extradition to the US authorities for years and has been banned for life by FIFA.
FIFA clears itself of allegations
And FIFA? In response to public pressure, the world association later commissioned former US Attorney Michael Garcia to investigate the double award of the world championships – as part of an alleged reform process in the world association. After two years, the report is finished, but remains under lock and key. The head of the FIFA Ethics Committee at the time, Hans-Joachim Eckert from Germany, comes to the conclusion in his evaluation: There is insufficient evidence of corruption in the double award. Under protest, Garcia then announced his resignation.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter resigned after the 2015 scandal. His successor Gianni Infantino has “the end of the crisis” proclaimed in FIFA. He speaks of one “new FIFA”. On the World Cup in Qatar he says: “The world will unite here in Qatar, the world will unite in this part of the universe.” His place of residence and new center of life has been Qatar for some time.
| Member | country |
|---|---|
| Joseph S Blatter | Switzerland |
| Julio Grondona | Argentina |
| Issa Hayatou | Cameroon |
| Chung Mong Joon | South Korea |
| JackWarner | Trinidad and Tobago |
| AM Villar Llona | Spain |
| Michel Platini | France |
| Geoff Thompson | England |
| Franz Beckenbauer | Germany |
| Michel D’Hooghe | Belgium |
| Ricardo Teixeira | Brazil |
| Mohammed Bin Hammam | Qatar |
| Senes Erzik | Turkey |
| Chuck Blazers | United States |
| Worawi Makudi | Thailand |
| Nicholas Leoz | Paraguay |
| Junji Ogura | Japan |
| Marios Lefkaritis | Cyprus |
| Jacques Anouma | Ivory Coast |
| Rafael Salguero | Guatemala |
| Hany Abo Rida | Egypt |
| Vitaly Mutko | Russia |
| Reynald Temarii* | Tahiti |
| Amos Adamu* | Nigeria |
*Suspended from the votes to award the 2018 and 2022 World Championships.
Four-part documentary series in the WDR background magazine “Sport inside”
Thousands of dead guest workers, opaque procurement procedures, boycott discussions: the soccer World Cup in Qatar is one of the most controversial sporting events of our time. The WDR investigative format “Sport inside” has been researching the background of this World Cup since 2010. The four-part documentary series “Qatar – World Cup of Shame” and the podcast “The World Cup Slaves – Qatar and the History of Guest Workers” show the results of this long-term research. The series will be available from October 7th in the ARD Mediathek and the podcast from November 4th in the ARD Audiothek.