Qatar's World Cup bid used 'black operations': UK report

and in other news - the sun is hot, & water is wet

No one at all is surprised by this. FIFA is so bent it doesn't care what anyone else does as long as they get their cut.

Unless FIFA officials actually go to jail or go bankrupt, the corruption will continue.

The gas-rich Gulf state's strategy was to recruit influential individuals in order to attack bids in their respective countries, creating the impression there was "zero support" to host the World Cup among the population, the paper said.

Probably had a field day in both oz and the us. Plenty of anti-sockah journos, former sports stars etc in the afl, nfl, mlb etc media.

A Workd Cup mired in filth ever since Platini sold his federation to Qatar at the behest of PSG fan Sarkozy.

You mean that plain corruption wasn’t enough?

Seems to me that someone didn't get enough in their little brown envelope!

With so much money, profit and national prestige involved in sports nowadays, it is no wonder that countries and their sports associations, as well as individuals go to such lengths to win the rights to host sports events. It is all about sponsorship, advertising revenue, profits from infrastructure development, and if you look closely enough, you'll find the actual athletes are considered.

Wanderlust

Yes prestige, especially for those seeking a "bread and circuses" effect.  But I do not believe any of these host nations make money out of this.

Anyway, my guess this bid was bought and paid for without these type of undercover ops.

...US-based office of a public relations firm as well as former CIA agents..

Traitors to their nations.

Very very interesting, ex-CIA operatives hired to spread negative propoganda. Well, I guess they've had a lot of real world experience. This is more like a sneak peek into how the spooks have managed the whole anti-Russia/Putin campaign.

I wanted to read the original story but The Sunday Times wants your e-mail, so no thanks.

Anyway, I also feel this could be part of the Saudi/Israeli continued payback/revenge for Qatars plans to work with Iran on extracting their large and shared gas field.

In OTHER "News"; most of the population of the world doesn't CARE.