‘Qatargate’ breaks open

When Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup back in 2010, football fans around the globe were astounded at the decision. Many were suspicious, given that they could not even place the tiny Gulf peninsula on a map. Few knew Qatar even had a national football team. Moreover, Doha seemed a rather hot location for a summer World Cup.  Indeed, right from the opening whistle pundits put forth that Qatar bought the bid. Qatar and FIFA have since been trying to make the case that it was merit and not petro-cash that affected the decision. The Qatari diwan and FIFA could not have been happy, then, to see the cover of France Football magazine when it graced stands at the end of January with “Le QATARGATE” emblazoned on the front. What lay inside was a 20-page report laying out how Doha bought the bid and pushing