Riyadh, June 16 (IANS) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) secretary general Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani has refuted the negative campaign against Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, saying the GCC is in full support of the oil-rich nation.
Zayani highlighted the supportive stance of the Gulf countries to Qatar against doubters, haters and those who try to underestimate its right to host the event. He said that Qatar has won after honest competition and hosting the event will be a pride for all GCC countries, reports Xinhua.
“It is the right for southwest Asian and Arab countries,” he said here Sunday.
Qatar won the right to host the World Cup in an election that took place in December 2010 at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. However, allegations have risen lately that Qatar paid bribes to win the election.
Meanwhile, the support from GCC comes when Qatar is facing problems with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after the three countries withdrew their ambassadors in March due to political tensions.