Shock reports from Germany have claimed that FIFA are considering stripping Qatar of the 2022 World Cup, with England and the USA in pole position to take over.
German news outlet Focus, citing Saudi sports minister Turki Al-Sheikh as their source, claim that FIFA are reconsidering the decision, made in 2010, to stage the World Cup in the gulf nation.
Major doubts have been raised over the bidding process, which saw Qatar emerge victorious despite having no experience of hosting an event of this magnitude.
And yet all that is probably not enough. German sources say that the World Cup 2022 will probably not take place in Qatar, will be moved to Britain or USA. #Qatar2022 twitter.com/foreignpolicy/…
There have also been regular troubling reports of human rights violations in Qatar, with serious questions raised about the safety, poor wages and general treatment of the workers. Amnesty International has claimed that Qatar endorses "forced labour" and workers have suffered human rights abuses, despite worker welfare standards being drafted in 2014.
The 2022 World Cup has been moved to the winter due to the extreme weather conditions experienced by Qatar during the summer months. It will take place in November and December, as opposed to the usual June/July schedule.
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