Photo Gallery Dinner in Oslo
FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter has been accused of saying the World Cup will not take place in Qatar in 2022 at a dinner sponsored by the Football Association of Norway one month ago. A source at the dinner said the world's leading soccer official claimed that Qatar sponsors the Islamic State terrorist organization.
A replica of the World Cup trophy: Blatter has had strong ties with the country in the past, but he fell out with a top Qatari official in 2011. Qatar's World Cup organizers assure that relations with Blatter remain unclouded and that the FIFA president has been and remains a good friend to the country, but there are doubts.
Blatter is seen here announcing the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar during December 2010. In May of this year, Blatter told Swiss broadcaster RTS that awarding the games to the emirate had been a "mistake".
Blatter (center) is shown here with his one-time friend turned nemesis Mohammed Bin Hammam in this archive photo. FIFA is denying Blatter made disparaging comments towards 2022 host nation Qatar and officials who attended the dinner in Oslo are now remaining mumm on the issue.
Karim Jaafar / AFP
A computer-generated image shows one of the stadiums to be used for matches at the 2022 World Cup. Qatar has been accused of providing poor pay, housing and conditions for workers preparing for the tournament, raising questions about whether the country is suitable as a host.
Accusations of corruption have also clouded the successful bid, but no proof has been presented of bribes. Still, even if the country gets a clean slate from investigators, the controversy surrounding the decision to let Qatar host the World Cup is likely to remain a thorn in FIFA's side for the next eight years.
