Qatar unfairly 'singled out' over 2022 World Cup

Qatar has been unfairly "singled out" for criticism over the 2022 World Cup, according to organising committee chief Hassan Al-Thawadi.

In a robust defence of Qatar's position, Thawadi said the Gulf state does not expect to lose the tournament, regardless of an ongoing investigation into the 2022 bidding process in Switzerland, amid allegations of corruption.

Thawadi, secretary-general of the 2022 Supreme Committee, the body overseeing tournament preparations, said there was no evidence of wrongdoing against Qatar and that the country would cooperate with investigators in Switzerland and the US "should there be any request". There has been no contact from investigators in either country so far, according to Thawadi.

"We always expected criticism," Thawadi said. "There isn't a single major sporting event in the world that doesn't go through that journey, but I think ours has been particularly intense.

"We became the victim of a campaign that singled out Qatar and our successful bid without any shred of evidence."

Asked if he was worried Qatar could lose the 2022 tournament, Thawadi replied: "Absolutely not."

Critics have also rounded on Qatar for its record on migrant workers' rights and earlier this year it was claimed by US media that 1,200 labourers had died on World Cup construction sites, a charge fiercely denied by Doha.

"That is simply not true," said Thawadi. "In more than 14 million man hours worked the Supreme Committee has not experienced one fatality on site."