FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has been the center of a lot of controversies ever since the middle-eastern nation was awarded the hosting rights for the mega event in 2010. Human rights violations, corruption within the FIFA ranks, and bribery have been just a few of the controversies that have surrounded the biggest sporting event in the world.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup just under a year away, a new controversy has surfaced. According to an investigation conducted by Associated Press, Qatar hired Ex-CIA (Central Investigation Agency) officer to spy on FIFA in order to secure the hosting rights for the tournament.
The investigation report revealed that Qatar hired former CIA officer, Kevin Chalker, to spy on the bids of the other competing nations and the jury picked for selecting the hosts for the competition. Chalker continued to work for Qatar even after they were awarded the hosting rights for the mega event. The investigation revealed that Chalker assessed the extent of criticism Qatar received worldwide after they were awarded the hosting rights and kept tabs on them.
Chalker used different techniques including using a fake Facebook profile of an attractive woman to get close to members of the jury, hacking and spying on FIFA officials, and using former western intelligence officers to get information related to the FIFA World Cup hosting bids.
The investigation further reveals that Chalker is one of the many former intelligence officers that have been working for Qatar. According to US Congressman, Tom Malinowski, Qatar, and UAE have several former US officials working for them in order to get close to any kind of information they want.
