Long ago, we knew this World Cup was going to be tough to fully enjoy with a clean conscience.
But the last two days have reminded us that there is so much more still to learn about the chicanery needed for Qatar to secure, maintain, and promote the 2022 World Cup.
First there were reports in the AP and Reuters that the World Cup’s organizers are paying for “fans” to attend the tournament and provide good PR.
The following day, Swiss outlet SRF was out with a blockbuster report detailing hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the Qatari government to spy on FIFA officials, with the primary goal of preventing the country from losing the World Cup after allegations of bribery emerged.
18 days to go!
Paid ‘fans’ heading to Qatar
The two reports stated that Qatar is recruiting up to 1,600 fans — around 30-50 from each of the 32 teams at the tournament — to sing in the opening ceremony. But the country’s request went much farther than that.
The fans were offered an all-expense-paid trip to Qatar plus a daily stipend of $68, and would be able to stay not just for the opening ceremony but for the entire tournament if they so choose.
Why would these fans be offered this? As you might imagine, there were strings attached. As the AP reports:
Those key fans are asked to “incorporate, where appropriate” content provided by Qatari organizers and support the World Cup “by ‘liking’ and re-sharing third party posts.”
The fan leaders have been told “we are not asking you to (be) a mouthpiece for Qatar,” but “it would obviously not be appropriate for you to disparage” the country or the tournament.
The influencers have also had to agree to “report any offensive, degrading or abusive comments” on social media to the organizing committee and, if possible, take screenshots.
Luckily, these influencers were asked to use the hashtag “IAMAFAN,” so their posts will at least be identifiable.
Qatar hires firm to spy on FIFA employees
A funny thing happened between Qatar being awarded the World Cup in 2010 and now: several of the FIFA officials who voted for it were arrested.
The U.S. Department of Justice said for the first time last year that officials working directly for Qatar’s 2022 bid (as well as Russia’s 2018 bid) bribed FIFA officials in exchange for their votes.
These legal issues led to calls for Qatar to be stripped of hosting rights, and the country didn’t take kindly to those pleas.
According to SRF, the state of Qatar hired Global Risk Advisors, led by ex-CIA operative Kevin Chalker, to target FIFA officials through spying and hacking in an effort to ensure the World Cup would stay in Qatar.
The report also stated that current Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani was involved in the operation.
Former U.S. Soccer President and FIFA Executive Committee member Sunil Gulati was among the targets of the operation, the report says. Gulati’s computer was successfully hacked, with approximately 800 files stolen.
A lawyer for Chalker denied all the allegations, while the state of Qatar chose not to comment.
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