Is FIFA about to strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup?
A simple tweet made the world of Football tremble. A famous American news anchor tweeted that FIFA will strip Qatar of its 2022 Football World Cup and wants the United States of America to be ready to host it.
The tweet was later deleted, but does this information have some grounds. Well, FIFA appointed Qatar as the host country for the World Cup in 2022 where average temperatures are above 40 degrees in mid summer. Then there's the infrastructure problem and the slavery issues British media revealed. People have been calling for FIFA to strip Qatar since the day it was announced.
Everything comes after the corruption allegation FIFA had to fight lately exactly on the subject. There is a very slim chance that FIFA will do so, but it's not impossible. The rumors also said FIFA wants the US to be ready to host the final tournament. The information was denied by Sunil Gulati, US Soccer Federation president.
However, in case Qatar gets stripped, most thing there would be a re-vote with the losing countries of the original vote, Australia, Japan, South Korean and USA. The US, would theoretically have a small advantage on any competitors because of existing infrastructure and most important, potential revenue. However, regarding only the stadiums, Japan and South Korea hosted the even in 2002 so there are already large stadiums, while Australia could convert some of its big stadiums that host rugby.
There is still time left to be decided, because normally, FIFA announces the host of the World Cup with seven years in advance. If the world football governing body will strip Qatar to late and it will not have sufficient time for a re-bid, US would be ready. Most matches, if not all would be hosted by NFL stadiums which are huge. There are more than 10 stadium in the country with their capacities exceeding 70,000 seats.
For now, Qatar remains the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, despite any rumors, but there is still plenty of time left. Let's not forget FIFA's ethic committee is investigating the bribery allegation that shook the governing body all the way to its foundation.
