From ArabNews
- Ipsos MORI poll finds a third of Brits support English bid to host tournament if Qatar is stripped as host
- Just 5 per cent support Qatar holding the tournament at all
LONDON: A third people in the UK believe the allocation of the football World Cup 2022 to Qatar was the wrong decision, a survey has found.
Furthermore, many believe the English FA should step in with a bid to host the competition should the tiny emirate no longer be able to host the event.
Qatar’s hosting of the tournament has been rocked by controversy ever since the shock FIFA decision to give the country the event was made in 2010. Allegations of rampant corruption during the bidding process and the treatment of workers building the stadiums have sparked widespread calls for Qatar to be stripped of the event – possibly leading to another country to step in.
In the UK, there is “very little support” for Qatar hosting the prestigious and historic tournament, according to the poll by Ipsos MORI, which was commissioned by Cornerstone Global strategy consultants. Just 5 percent of those asked felt it was the right decision.
“Active football supporters or those with an interest in the World Cup were more likely to feel it was the wrong decision,” the poll found.
About half said they were in favor of an independent investigation into the way the Qatar bid team ran its campaign.
Some 38 percent said they would want the English FA to step in with a bid should Qatar be stripped of the tournament.
