Fifa has been urged to conduct an investigation into allegations Qatar offered football’s world governing body $400m (£307m) three weeks before the Gulf state was awarded the 2022 World Cup.
The Sunday Times claims executives from Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera signed a television contract prior to the bid.
The newspaper claims to have seen leaked documents that show the alleged deal included a fee of $100m (£77m) that would be paid into a designated Fifa account if Qatar was successful.
The Sunday Times also alleges Fifa was offered another payment of $480m (£368m) three years later.
Damian Collins, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, called on Fifa to freeze any payments and added that the allegations would be a “clear breach” of its bidding rules if true.
In a statement, Fifa said it “is and will continue to co-operate with the authorities”.
In December 2010, Qatar beat rival bids from the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan to host the tournament.
The governing body added that former Fifa ethics investigator Michael Garcia’s 2014 report into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was published in full on its website in June 2017.
“Furthermore, please note that Fifa lodged a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, which is still pending,” said its statement.
Al Jazeera, which is now known as Bein Sports, was owned and controlled by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was the driving force behind the World Cup bid.
Source: BBC
