Football: Qatar could be stripped of WC

The 2022 World Cup could be stripped from Qatar. Photo / Getty

A German investigative magazine has reported the explosive claim that Fifa boss Sepp Blatter said the 2022 World Cup would not take place in Qatar.

Der Spiegel cited a source who attended the October 13 dinner where Blatter allegedly made the startling statement while being hosted by the Football Association of Norway (NFF) in an Oslo hotel.

Fifa has insisted the claim is "simply wrong" and reiterated that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup.

The magazine said Blatter was asked at the dinner how preparations were going for Qatar's controversial hosting of the 2022 World Cup. Its source claimed Blatter described Arabs as "arrogant" and said they thought they "could buy anything with their money."

He also allegedly said Qatar provides financing to the Islamic State terrorist militia and stated: "The World Cup will not take place in Qatar."

Approached by the magazine about the claims, the NFF said it would not "comment on what was said or expressed at the dinner table."

Fifa issued a statement in response to the Der Spiegel article.

"Fifa wants to reiterate that the information provided by the sources does not reflect what actually happened at the dinner in question, which was held during the Fifa president's visit to Oslo in October," it said.

"The claims made by the sources are unfounded. The 2022 Fifa World Cup will take place in Qatar."

The statement added: "The topic of Qatar and the 2022 World Cup were talked about very briefly. Dates were discussed as there are presently discussions taking place to determine when will be the best time to stage the tournament in that calendar year and the Emir, who had visited Fifa president Blatter only a few days earlier in Zurich, was mentioned."

The Der Spiegel article comes as Fifa ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert is expected to soon make public parts of the Garcia report into corruption allegations surrounding the bidding for the 2022 World Cup.

Despite widespread concerns about the heat issue, Qatar won the 2022 World Cup hosting vote by 14 to 8 over the United States, while Australia was the first bidder eliminated after garnering just one vote.

-AAP