World Cup 2022 Host Qatar Allegedly Hired Former CIA Official to Spy on FIFA

The World Cup 2022 legion Katar is beingness accused of contracting a former United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prescribed to sleuth on the inner dealings of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, most commonly, FIFA.

FIFA is the highest governing body of football, known as association football in the US. FIFA organizes and operates the World Cup, the quadrennial international championship that is the most-bet sporting tourney on the planet.

An investigating from the Associated Press published this week claims that Qatar, which secured the 2022 hosting of the World Cup under controversy, hired an ex-CIA factor to stay fresh tabs on FIFA during and after the summons process.

The AP’s investigation found Katar sought-after(a) an edge in securing hosting rights past hiring former CIA officer turned private declarer Kevin Chalker to stag on rival press teams and paint soccer officials who picked the winner inward 2010. Chalker also worked for State of Qatar inwards the years that followed to keep tabs on the country’s critics inwards the soccer world,” the AP study claims.

Qatar was selected rear inward 2010 to innkeeper next year’s World Cup. The vastly wealthy Arabian land thump come out bids from the US, South Korea, Australia, and Japan.

International Exposure

Qatar is localize to get the smallest rural area to ever legion a men’s or women’s World Cup. FIFA made concessions to innkeeper the soccer tourney there, most importantly changing the engagement from the summer months to November through December because of Qatar’s desert heat.

“The World Cup is the planet’s to the highest degree pop sports tournament. It’s also a chance for Qatar, unity of the wealthiest countries inwards the world, to experience a coming-out party on the human beings stage,” the AP report added.

Qatar did non respond to AP inquiries regarding its investigation. But Chalker says he would non “ever mesh inward illegal surveillance.”

Qatar and FIFA were both heavily criticized on allegations of corruption after the little country was awarded the 2022 Cup. And in that respect experience been uncounted reports of worker clapperclaw and unsafe mental synthesis sites in the neighborhood since Qatar Peninsula began building the venues that will legion the matches.

US Ready

The World Cup is the biggest event for sportsbooks around the world. Handle, or the amount wagered, will mounting into the billions of dollars range.

“The handgrip will easy follow inwards the billions around the world,” Sky Betting & Gaming Sports Trader Jacob Blangsted-Barnor told FOX Sports recently.

The 2022 World Cup testament live the number one World Cup since sports betting was liberalized inwards the United States. The Supreme Margaret Court gave states the correct to resolve their own sports play laws through a ruling inward May of 2018.

Today, effectual sports betting is operating(a) inwards 27 states, and quint more have passed statute law that will shortly rule such gambling.

“It’s ever the biggest thing we volume inwards the United Kingdom,” Blangsted-Barnor continued. “And this will follow the firstly World Cup inwards the United States where you’ll get all these states taking bets.”