Scandal erupts as Qatar accused of bribing Ecuadorian players to lose WC opener: Report

The day has finally arrived when the biggest footballing event, the  FIFA World Cup 2022, will get underway in Qatar. The opening match of the tournament, Qatar vs Ecuador, will take place at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. In the buildup to the tournament, Qatar had to face various challenges and controversies and there seems to be no end to their problems. Ahead of the opening fixture, serious allegations have come up against the hosts for allegedly trying to fix the opening match. However, the claim is yet to be verified. 

FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatar accused of match-fixing against Ecuador 

According to reports, Amjad Taha, an expert in strategic political affairs and regional director of the British center in Saudi Arabia, has claimed that Qatar allegedly offered eight Ecuadorian players a bribe of 7.4 million dollars to lose the opener. He stated that his sources were insiders from the Qatar and Ecuador camps, and also urged the world to fight FIFA corruption.

FIFA were heavily criticised for giving the hosting rights to Qatar, which have been accused of human rights violations. The country also has unfavourable sentiments towards the rights of the LGBTQ community. The lead-up to the tournament witnessed many migrant workers losing their lives while building the different stadiums for the World Cup event. Qatar are 50th in the men’s world rankings and have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup. The host will be aiming to impress in their World Cup opener against Ecuador. They have faced each other in three games, with both sides winning a game each.

Qatar 2022: Sale of beer banned by FIFA days ahead of the tournament 

In a major move, the sale of all beer with alcohol at the eight World Cup stadiums was banned on Friday, while non-alcoholic beers will still be sold at the 64 matches in the country. FIFA released a statement which said “Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from ... stadium perimeters”.Champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol is still expected to be served in the luxury hospitality areas of the stadiums.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino downplayed Qatar’s last-minute ban on the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums as nothing more than a brief inconvenience to spectators. Infantino said the beer ban at stadiums was made jointly by Qatar officials and FIFA. He said “We tried until the end to see whether it was possible. If for 3 hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive. Maybe there is a reason why in France, in Spain, in Scotland, alcohol is banned in stadiums. Maybe they are more intelligent than us, having thought maybe we should be doing that.”