Qatar World Cup 2022 re-vote talk is ‘far too simplistic’ says Fifa presidential candidate

Fifa official dismisses conjecture saying there are other options available too, while Uefa president Michael Platini denies lobbying talk.

Michel Platini, the Uefa president, has criticised a newspaper report which alleged he had colluded with Qatari Mohammed bin Hammam before the bid to secure the 2022 World Cup. Lionel Cironneau / AP PShow more

Fifa have more options than just organising a re-vote to decide new 2022 World Cup hosts if allegations are proved that Qatar’s winning bid to stage the finals was corrupt, said Fifa presidential candidate Jerome Champagne.

The Frenchman, the only person to formally declare his candidacy to stand in next year’s elections – almost certainly against incumbent Sepp Blatter – said that it was far from a foregone conclusion that, if and when Fifa had to decide on a change, there would be a simple re-vote.

“It is too simplistic just to say there should be a re-vote. Would Qatar be allowed to re-submit a bid if these allegations are proved? Can you imagine that happening?

“It is just conjecture at this stage, but just to say there should be a re-vote is far too simplistic.”

Qatar has denied reports in Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper that bribes were paid to officials to bring the sporting world’s biggest global event to the emirate.

The newspaper reported that it had evidence that about US$5 million (Dh18.36m) was paid to officials in return for votes for Qatar’s successful bid.

The former official at the centre of the allegations, Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam, who was the head of football in Asia at the time of the decision to award the cup to his native country, has yet to comment publicly on the allegations, which threaten to overshadow the run up to the four-yearly World Cup, which begins in eight days in Brazil.

Fifa investigator Michael Garcia has been probing claims of wrongdoing surrounding the awards of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for two years and his findings will be submitted about two weeks after the end of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Uefa president Michel Platini attacked another British newspaper for seeking to “tarnish” his reputation by drawing him into corruption claims against the Qatar World Cup bid.

The Daily Telegraph alleged that the French football legend had held “a secret meeting” with Bin Hammam “shortly before Fifa awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar”.

It said the disgraced former Fifa vice president “personally lobbied Mr Platini to support the emirate’s bid”.

Platini accepted that he had met Bin Hammam.

“I find it incredible that talks with a Fifa executive committee member colleague at the time can be transformed into a state conspiracy,” Platini said.

“I certainly met Mr Mohamed bin Hammam several times in 2010 as we were both of us executive committee members since 2002. In these conversations, the object of the discussions was the candidacy for the Fifa presidency.

“Mr Bin Hammam was in fact seeking to convince me to stand for the Fifa presidency in the 2011 elections.”