FIFA
'in contact' with Qatar over 2022 World Cup
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[June 05, 2017]
ZURICH (Reuters) - Soccer's
governing body FIFA said it was in "regular contact" with the
organizing committee of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Monday though
it did not comment directly on the diplomatic situation involving
the Gulf State.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and others severed
ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting terrorism and
opening up the worst rift in years among some of the most powerful
states in the Arab world.
FIFA said in an emailed statement that it was "in regular contact
with the Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee and the Supreme
Committee for Delivery and Legacy handling matters relating to the
2022 FIFA World Cup."
"We have no further comments for the time being," it added.
Qatar's local World Cup organizing committee and the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC,) which organizes international matches in the
region, both declined to comment.
Qatar's national team are still involved in the qualifying
competition for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and are bottom of their
group with four points from seven games, with matches against South
Korea, Syria, and China still to play.
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The sun is reflected in FIFA's logo in front of FIFA's headquarters
in Zurich, Switzerland November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
There is a very remote chance they could still finish third in the
group and qualify for a playoff match against the team that finishes
third in the other Asian qualifying group, with both Saudi Arabia
and the UAE among potential opponents.
(Writing by Brian Homewood, editing by Pritha Sarkar) [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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