Qatar

Fifa president Sepp Blatter claims world football’s governing body is not responsible for the rights of labourers working on stadium construction for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Qatar has revealed the design of its fourth proposed host venue for the 2022 Fifa World Cup on the fourth anniversary of its successful bid for the national team football tournament.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has insisted there would be “no winners” if the 2022 Fifa World Cup clashes with the winter Olympic Games of the same year.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has reassured Asian football stakeholders that the 2022 World Cup will remain in Qatar, as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) threw its weight behind the Swiss’ re-election bid and downplayed talk that a rival candidate could emerge from the region.

Qatar has unveiled the design for its third proposed host venue for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, with two more stadiums set to be announced by the end of the year.

Qatari officials have maintained they complied with bid rules for the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) 2019 World Championships after details emerged of the offer of $37m (€29.6m) of new backing ahead of last week’s vote to award the event to Doha.

Qatar is in talks to host a Formula One motor-racing grand prix, according to the championship’s chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone.

FIFA seems to be edging towards a winter date for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, investment in stadium-cooling technology continues in the country regardless. Andy Fry looks at the concepts behind the systems.

Elisha Chauhan travelled to Doha to examine the Qatari capital’s formidable ‘athletes’ city’ concept, which will be introduced at its hosting of the 2019 IAAF World Championships.

The International Handball Federation (IHF) has barred Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates from retaking their places at the 2015 Men’s World Championship in Qatar.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has announced that Doha will host its 2019 World Championships, with the Qatari capital defeating rival bids from Barcelona and Eugene for the showpiece event.

Fifa’s investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has come under further fire after the two whistleblowers at the centre of corruption allegations lodged formal complaints that their confidentiality had been breached.

Qatar Football Association (QFA) president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani has said his country is “ready” to help in organising the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after the national team tournament was removed from Morocco earlier this week.

Fifa’s claim that a “degree of closure” has been reached in the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was thrown into question this (Thursday) afternoon after Michael Garcia, chairman of the investigatory chamber of Fifa’s Ethics Committee, said that he planned to file an appeal against the report issued on the matter.

Russia and Qatar can continue with their preparations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups after the chairman of Fifa’s adjudicatory chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, today (Thursday) cleared the two nations of impropriety in their bids for the events.

Egypt will not send a team to next month’s International Aquatics Federation (Fina) World Swimming Championships (25m), which is being staged in Qatar.