An investigation by the newspaper The Telegraph alleges that former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner—who has been suspended for corruption-related issues in the past—accepted bribes from Qatar in exchange for the country hosting the 2022 World Cup. The decision to award Qatar the tournament has been questioned since it was first announced in 2010. Not only is the nation so hot that they may actually have to change the dates of the tournament to the winter, but, as The Wire notes, “Qatar World Cup has also been criticized for the illegality of alcohol consumption and homosexuals; potential mistreatment of Israeli athletes; construction laborers working in slave-like conditions …” and other concerns.
The Telegraph report suggests that Warner received $1.2 million (a payment that a bank in the Cayman Islands refused to process over legality concerns before it was handled by a bank in New York) from a company owned by Qatari FIFA VP Mohamed bin Hammam. The paper says that the FBI is now involved in an investigation related to payments. Though Qatar told the paper it did nothing wrong, Warner refused to comment to the news outlet …
