Qatar denies U.S allegations of World Cup bribes

The organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have strongly denied allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice that bribes were paid to secure votes for the hosting rights to the tournament.

Suspicion and rumours have long surrounded both the 2010 vote by FIFA’s executive to hand the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Yet on Monday, for the first time, prosecutors set direct, formal allegations regarding both tournaments down in an indictment.