Most Brits think Qatar should lose the right to hold the 2022 World Cup
Following the latest scandal over the Qatari bid for the 2022 World Cup, 62 per cent of Brits think it should be stripped of the right to hold it, according to a new YouGov poll.
77 per cent of football fans don’t think it should now be allowed to host the tournament.
What’s more, 65 per cent of us think Fifa president Sepp Blatter should resign over the affair.
Over the weekend, The Sunday Times disclosed a series of emails, bank transfers and other correspondence which, it alleges, prove that Qatari football official Mohamed bin Hammam paid £3m to officials in a strategy to support Qatar’s bid.
Qatar denies all wrongdoing, but YouGov’s survey found that 77 per cent of the public, and 90 per cent of football fans, think the decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar was influenced by bribery and corruption. Just four per cent of people think that isn’t the case.
Only eight per cent of those asked thought blame lies more with Qatar than with Fifa. This is, of course, just the latest round of Fifa-related corruption allegations.
Bin Hammam’s 2012 ban means that he’s largely out of football for the time being, and the Qatari committee’s said he had “no role” in making the bid.
Several individuals have called for the spotlight to be shone firmly on Fifa. Defence minister Anna Soubry has called for action: "Somebody somewhere has got to get a serious grip on Fifa about the way that they run these competitions."
In fact, 72 per cent of the public – and 84 per cent of football fans – think the allegations were wholly predictable.
It remains to be seen as to whether Fifa will order a revote. Popular support's already there, following earlier bribery allegations. The organisation is currently investigating this latest series.