Russia WC Bid Now Tied With Qatar With Corruption

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Another allegation is that he was invited to visit Vladimir Putin to discuss "bilateral relations" in sport between Russia and Qatar a month before the World Cup vote took place in December 2010, which resulted in their landslide victories to stage the tournament in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

They also allege that the disgraced Qatari official arranged for Michel Platini, the Uefa football chief and an Exco member, to meet the Qatari bid committee and that he arranged discreet meetings with members of the Qatari royal family for at least seven key Exco members, including the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter. Another allegation is that Bin Hammam used secret slush funds to make payments totalling $1.7m to football officials across Asia.

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The Sunday Times claimed that the $1.7 million Bin Hammam paid to Asian officials from funds controlled by his private company Kemco were used as he was campaigning for both the Qatar World Cup bid and for his own re-election to the post of president of the Asian Football Confederation.

The newspaper said he was invited to a meeting by Russia to discuss "bilateral relations" in sport between Qatar and Russia on Oct. 30, 2010, a month before the vote on the bids.

"Two days later, Qatar's ruling emir also flew to Moscow for talks about joint gas production deals between the two countries,'' the Sunday Times said.

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