The FIFA scandal that force Sepp Blatter to step down as president could also spark some other major moves, as reports have the 2022 World Cup potentially getting stripped from Qatar due to corruption charges and accusations of bribes and if that happens, England is ready to step in and take over the event.
The original news about the arrests of top officials at FIFA stunned the soccer world and soon after Sepp Blatter was re-elected as president, he announced that he was stepping down. According to Pro Soccer Talk, England is "ready" to take the reins of the 2022 World Cup if it is taken from Qatar. English officials are preparing as if that is a possibility and it comes after the nation lost the 2018 bid to Russia, which has also been seeped in scandal and corruption.
14 FIFA officials were arrested in the probe previously and that led to Blatter stepping down. Blatter also may be under investigation, according to Pro Soccer Talk. England is now hoping for a move from Qatar, but there is a chance that it could be pushed somewhere else, possibly Australia, as Russia is hosting in 2018 and that could make it two European nations in a row if England gets it.
All this news comes as reports have the FBI as well as Swiss officials looking into the (come on, obvious) corruption that gave Qatar the 2022 World Cup. When the news was first announced about Qatar, the soccer world was stunned, as the nation has zero soccer history, infrastructure or culture and temperatures there can ready over 120 degrees in the summer.
Reports had the World Cup getting moved to winter, which would be bedlam for European soccer leagues and now they could be stripped of the games altogether. The fact that at least 4000 deaths are projected in construction in Qatar for the World Cup (per ESPN and the Guardian) has not helped matters and many have called for the location to be changed. Adding to all this is an ESPN report that Blatter promised the Cup to Qatar after an official stepped down in the running against him as president in the past.
"If FIFA came forward and asked us to consider hosting it, we have the facilities in this country and of course we did mount a very impressive, if unsuccessful, bid to host the 2018 World Cup," said UK sports secretary, John Whittingdale, according to the Guardian.
Check here for more on England potentially getting the World Cup.
