When the envelopes were opened and the soccer world learned Russia and Qatar had won the right to host the World Cups of 2018 and 2022, it was a surprise.
FIFA portrayed the results as a progressive step for the world soccer body. Russia, the world’s largest country, and Qatar, a small Middle Eastern nation, would be new frontiers for the world’s favorite tournament.
But almost immediately the whispers of foul play began.
Now with FIFA embroiled in a massive corruption scandal, one that has led to the resignation of its septuagenarian president, other nations beaten in the bidding process for those finals have rising hopes that the tournament might end up relocating.
Don’t even think about it, say officials in Russia and Qatar.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s stunning resignation has led to calls for a rerun of the bidding process for the finals.
The CEO of Russia World Cup 2018 told CNN’s Matthew Chance that Russia plans to continue to prepare to organize the event.
“We do not feel any threat to the Word Cup,” Alexesy Sorokin told CNN. “We don’t understand the origin of these discussions because we’re aiming to organize one of the most successful World Cups in history of football.”
Swiss authorities are investigating the bid process for both events, but Sorokin said Russia’s bid was transparent.
“It was clean,” he said. “It didn’t transgress any FIFA practices, any practices applicable to the bidding process. What else can we say?”
Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy was equally bullish.
“The recent events at FIFA will not impact on our preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” it proclaimed in a written statement.
The “recent events” at FIFA include not only Blatter’s sudden step down but also the indictment in the United States of 14 people, including nine top FIFA officials, on corruption charges.
Others have already pleaded guilty to charges that include laundering money allegedly from bribes given in exchange for votes on other World Cups.
‘Outside chance’ Qatar could lose
Bleacher Report soccer writer Alex Dimond said this week that it is unlikely that either country will lose their tournaments — though Qatar might have a slight worry. He cited the nearness of the next finals. Most nations build fancy new stadiums for the event and there is no time for that now.
“It’s a lot harder to see 2018 being taken away,” he said. “But there is an outside chance that Qatar could be changed to another venue at some point.”
Other nations who lost out either to Russia or Qatar are lining up to take their places, if more scandal is uncovered.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, UK Sport Secretary John Whittingdale said: “If FIFA came forward and asked us to consider hosting it, we have the facilities in this country and of course we did mount a very impressive, if unsuccessful, bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
“In terms of the decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, that is obviously something which we are watching, but at the moment that decision stands.”
Australia, which lost out in an early round of votes for the 2022 tournament, has also indicated it could step in.
There have been rumors around the winning bids for years, and FIFA had a former U.S. attorney look into the allegations. The soccer body found no corruption and said there was no reason to reopen the bidding process. (But Michael Garcia, who led the investigation, said FIFA’s public summary of his report was “incomplete and erroneous.”)
After this recent round of scandal, FIFA has continued to insist there will be no change. Walter De Gregorio, the organization’s chief spokesman, said: “Russia and Qatar will be played. That is fact today.”
Embarrassments keep coming
What happens tomorrow could be different if the Swiss investigation or the ongoing U.S. probe prove widespread corruption in the way soccer’s governing body has awarded the prestigious rights to host the finals.
FIFA is already red-faced in the eyes of soccer fans and other members of the public whose attention has been captured by the allegations of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.
The latest embarrassment for FIFA were the revelations laid out in the court documents highlighting the testimony of American Chuck Blazer.
Blazer, a former FIFA executive committee member and key member in the U.S. investigation into the governing body, admitted that he and other high-ranking officials took bribes ahead of the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, according to court records.
Precedence for a move
World Cups have been moved before.
In October 1982, less than four years before it was scheduled to host the event, Colombia relinquished rights for the men’s finals due to poor economic conditions. Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States stepped up as potential replacements.
Mexico’s bid won a year later and it became the first country to host the World Cup twice.
The women’s tournament has also relocated, albeit on much shorter notice and under different circumstances.
The 2003 tournament was to be played in China, but a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in the spring of that year caused FIFA to return the finals to the United States, which had also hosted in 1999.
Given just four months to organize the ’03 event, U.S. Soccer tinkered with the schedule to include doubleheaders and used some smallish stadiums that were geographically better suited for keeping travel miles to a minimum.
China was awarded the 2007 World Cup.
