(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar reiterated yesterday that its bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the best among all participants and it won the right to host the event solely on merit.
Foreign Minister H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah said in Tunis: "We are confident we have entered the competition in accordance with the conditions set and this Arab file (Qatar) won. Unfortunately, some parties can't see a Muslim Arab state succeed in attracting such championships. For the first time in the history of world football, this tournament will be held in an Arab state and will be for all Arabs."
On investigations underway into alleged corruption in FIFA, he said: "We do not have sensitivity or concerns. Such concerns should have been felt during the US investigator's interrogations" - arguably, a reference to Michael Garcia. Though he was an American and the US was one of the competitors to host the Cup and Qatar won, "we cooperated with him and investigations showed no suspicion," Qatar News Agency quoted Dr Al Attiyah as saying. He refused to talk about who he thought were entities or states behind the criticism of Qatar's bid and whether the criticisms were born out of economic or political rivalry or due to racism.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.