"Time to move on" claim Qatar after FIFA clear them

By Andrew Warshaw in Doha

November 18 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid team today welcomed FIFA”s decision to clear them of any vote-trading collusion saying he always knew they had done nothing wrong.

No sooner had FIFA’s Ethics Committee ruled that Qatar had no case to answer over allegations of collusion with Spain/Portugal’s 2018 campaign than chief executive Hassan Al-Thawadi said it was time to end the rumours and innuendo and stop pouring doubt on the honesty of Qatar’s campaign.

“We welcome today’s announcement by the FIFA Ethics Committee confirming that Qatar 2022 has completely abided by FIFA’s bidding rules and regulations,” Al-Thawadi said.

“We were always confident of this outcome because we have conducted ourselves throughout the campaign adhering to the highest ethical standards.”

“This puts an end to the rumours and hearsay which have dominated the agenda in recent weeks. We have maintained a dignified silence to allow FIFA to deal with this issue.

“FIFA have now done so, they have given us a clean bill of health and it is time to move on.”

Al-Thawadi said the verdict would only serve to give the Gulf State’s bid fresh impetus ahead of the December 2 vote in exactly two weeks’ time.

“Over the coming two weeks we will campaign exhaustively to highlight the merits of a Middle East FIFA World Cup, what it means for the hundreds of millions of passionate football fans in our region and the impact it would have on global football development,” he said.

The Ethics Committee’s decision, widely predicted by insideworldfootball, gave Al-Thawadi (pictured) the perfect platform to promote the merits of Qatar’s bid and gain maximum advantage from being officially cleared of any wrongdoing.

Whilst many will question whether is no smoke without fire following the allegations in the Sunday Times, Al-Thawadi went straight onto the front foot.

“Bringing the FIFA World Cup to Qatar will help build bridges of mutual trust and understanding between our region and the international community,” he said.

“There can be no doubt that Qatar is uniquely placed to use its significant resources to deliver an amazing FIFA World Cup in a new frontier for global football.

“We believe that the FIFA Executive Committee will see that Qatar is not only capable of delivering a technically excellent tournament but also creating an international legacy second to none.

“Qatar 2022 is an opportunity to make history, to touch lives way beyond the football pitch and positively impact social and cultural relations. Football, and hosting the game’s greatest tournament, should be a possibility for all regions of the world.

“This will be a key part of our message to FIFA on December 1 [during our presentation].”

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