Qatar 2022 World Cup is at 'Increasing Risk' of Being Staged Elsewhere Due to Middle East Diplomatic Crisis, Reveals Damning New Report
- Qatar was controversially chosen to stage the 2022 World Cup by FIFA in 2010
- The World Cup infrastructure is due to total £153billion once completed
- Qatar is involved in a diplomatic crisis with five nations - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen
Daily Mail UK, 7 Oct 2017.
Qatar's place as hosts for the 2022 World Cup is in jeopardy following a new report that has delved into their suitability amid the ongoing political attention in the Middle East.
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TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN QATAR
December 2010 - Qatar awarded 2022 World Cup.
March 2011 - Qatar joins international military operations in Libya.
April 2011 - Qatar hosts meeting of international 'contact group' on Libya, which calls on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit. Qatar reportedly arms Libyan opposition.
November 2011 - Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani says elections to the advisory council will be held in 2013, in what would be Qatar's first legislative elections.
January 2012 - The Afghan Taliban say they are setting up a political office in Qatar to facilitate talks.
October 2012 - Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani visits Gaza, the first head of state to do so since Hamas took power there five years previously.
June 2013 - Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani takes over as emir after his father abdicates.
October 2013 - Court upholds 15-year jail sentence for poet Mohammed al-Ajami who was convicted of inciting people to overthrow government.
March 2014 - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE temporarily withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar after alleging that it has been meddling in their internal affairs.
September 2014 - Qatar and four other Arab states take part in US-led air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria.
March 2015 - Qatar and four other GCC states take part in Saudi-led air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
March 2016 - Human rights group Amnesty International, says in a new report that migrant workers employed on construction sites for the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar, face systematic abuse which sometimes amounts to forced labour.
December 2016 - Government says it is abolishing the controversial labour sponsorship system or 'kafala' that forces foreign workers to seek their employers' consent to change jobs or leave the country.
June 2017 - Diplomatic crisis as Saudi Arabia leads an air, land and sea blockade by Arab countries, in an attempt to get Qatar to cut its alleged connections with terrorism and distance itself from Iran.
October 2017 - The Cornerstone Global says that Qatar are at 'increasing risk' of losing the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
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A study by management consultants Cornerstone Global evaluated the impact of the current diplomatic situation involving Qatar and its surrounding countries.
Obtained by the BBC, the report claims 'tournament insiders and regional experts have both stated to us that it is far from certain Doha will actually host the tournament'.
Qatar is at 'increasing risk' of losing the right to host the 2022 World Cup, claims a new report
The country is currently involved in an ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia cutting all ties
Saudi Arabia's stance is due to their beliefs that Qatar is destabilising the Middle East and supporting terrorism..
This is a result of it warning construction companies that is it a 'high-risk project' to work on the infrastructure programme which is set to total £153billion ($200bn) in costs.
Cornestone Global's report, Qatar in focus: Is the Fifa World Cup 2022 in danger?; advises clients to 'to give them unique insights to the reality of doing business in complex and challenging environments'.
It also adds: 'Western diplomats have privately stated they do not know whether or not the tournament will take place as planned.
'The reasons for this are many and include open allegations of corruption - both in the bidding process and in the infrastructure development.
'Qatar is under greater pressure regarding its hosting of the tournament... the current political crisis has seen - or at least raised the possibility of - a Qatari opposition movement emerging.
'This means an increased risk for those working on, or seeking contracts for World Cup 2022 infrastructure... with a risk of non-payment and no realistic ability to enforce any legal contracts.
'Given the current political situation... it is certainly possible that the tournament will not be held in Qatar.
'Any cancellation of Qatar hosting the World Cup 2022 will likely be abrupt and will leave contractors involved in a precarious situation that may not be easily resolved.'
The report also states that costs have risen between '20 and 25 per cent due to logistical reasons'.
In response to the report, which Cornestone says it was 'professionally produced based on extensive research'; the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy have dismissed it 'as transparent as it is laughable.'
They also maintain that there is 'absolutely no risk' to Qatar not staging the 2022 World Cup.
In statement to the BBC, they wrote: 'In the context of the current political situation we question the motives of an organisation - which makes no secret of its affiliation to the countries blockading Qatar - of publishing a report based entirely on media reports and anonymous sources.
'The intention to create doubt regarding the tournament, while attempting to cause resentment amongst Qatari citizens and anxiety amongst foreign businesses and residents, is as transparent as it is laughable.
'Despite the ambitious title of this report, there is absolutely no risk to the future of the first World Cup in the Middle East.'
In August, Al Thumama was the latest stadium to have its design released for 2022 World Cup
The stadium will have a 40,000 capacity but will reduce to 20,000 after the tournament
It has been designed in the shape of a 'gahfiya' - a traditional headdress worn by Arab men
It will play host to the competition's group stage matches and up until the quarter-final
Ghanim Ali Al Kuwari, Qatar's competition venues executive director, says they are still on track to be ready for the tournament in five years.
'One stadium is ready and the other seven are on schedule,' he said.
'The blockade has actually been a benefit, I would say. We have different resources now, different support from different countries.
'Now we are using different technology, different prices and different quality, from countries like Turkey, Europe, England, France, Germany, China and the USA.'
Khalifa International Stadium in Doha has already been completed and was unveiled in May. It has a 48,000 capacity
Al Wakrah Stadium, with a 45,120 capacity, is planned to be built by the end of 2018
Al Rayyan Stadium, 44,740 seater, is set to be up-and-running by the first quarter of 2019
Al Bayt Stadium, on the coast north of Doha, is hoped to be built by the end of 2018 with a 45,330 capacity
The Qatar Foundation Stadium, in Doha, is set to be completed by end of 2019
The build-up to World Cup 2022 has been dogged with problems since it was controversially awarded to Qatar in 2010.
The tournament has subsequently had to be moved to winter because of the temperatures in the summer.
There have also been reports of migrant workers on construction sites being subjected to appalling conditions.
But Al Kuwari, speaking at the Aspire Academy event at London's Stamford Bridge, added:
'Our response to that is we will let anyone visit our construction sites and our accommodation, and they will find it perfectly good.'
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WHAT'S GOING ON WITH QATAR?
What's the report saying?
That among local diplomats in the Middle East, there is not full confidence that Qatar will be able to deliver the World Cup. The report is prepared for infrastructure firms assessing the risks involved in working on preparations for the World Cup.
Why is there a risk the World Cup will be moved?
Diplomats believe the current crisis which has resulted in a blockade of the sovereign state could lead to the development of an opposition movement in the country, with no guarantees of continuity if the governance of the country changes.
How did the crisis develop?
Qatar is a gas-rich nation, sharing a huge oil field with Iran. However, its economic might has long caused fractious relations with some of its Gulf neighbours and things reached crisis point this summer. Five nations – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen accused Qatar of supporting terrorism in June and broke off diplomatic ties.
Turkey remains supportive of Qatar, flying out food to beat the blockade, however Qatar's cash supplies are falling and it has also been hit by falling oil prices.
What problems has this caused?
Saudi Arabia, Qatar's only immediate neighbour, has closed its land border to the nation, leading to major logistical problems, involving food and movement of citizens.
The Saudis, Egypt and UAE have also closed their airspace to Qatari transportation.
Infrastructure firms have been forced to source materials needed to build stadiums and other World Cup-related projects from countries outside of the blockade areas. Previously such materials came through the main port in Dubai, now closed to Qatar and its own shipping facilities are limited until a new port opens soon.
Will the World Cup really be transferred?
A number of controversial issues surround the World Cup, from the corruption alleged to have been involved in Qatar securing it, to the treatment of workers and its movement from summer to winter.
However, it seems the biggest threat yet is the diplomatic crisis, both in terms of regional instability or a change in leadership of the tiny nation which could put hosting it under threat. The competition's future in the country depends on how the crisis plays out.
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