FIFA should hold a new vote under a cleaned-up procedure to select the the 2022 football World Cup's host country as Qatar's winning bid was "radically flawed" by illegal payments, according to a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media unanimously adopted the report "The governance of world football" written by British Michael Connarty, reports Xinhua.
The selection process for the 2022 World Cup was "in breach of protocols, and so, invalid," Connarty said Tuesday, following the adoption of his report.
The recommendation hinges on evidence gathered by the British newspaper The Sunday Times of irregular payments by the Qatar's former president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Mohammed bin Hammam, made to senior officials in the African football community in exchange for votes.
"There is serious evidence of bribery that I've seen. It shows that the process for 2022 was corrupt, and they're enough to invalidate that procedure by FIFA's own rules," Connarty said.
According to a press release published by the PACE Tuesday, the corruption led to the early elimination of other candidates, including Japan, South Korea and Australia.
The report goes on to draw a connection between the selection process allegations and the deaths of foreign workers in World Cup construction projects that have been widely reported by the media.
"FIFA is still a very secretive organisation," he said. "You have to change the rules, you have to make them completely open."
After its adoption by the committee, the PACE report will be debated by the full assembly during its April 2015 session. The PACE Bureau of the Assembly has invited FIFA president Joseph "Sepp" Blatter to attend the session.
Despite repeated efforts, FIFA remained unavailable for comment.
--Indo-Asian news Service
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