The Arab League condemned what it called the "hateful campaign" against Qatar's controversial hosting of the 2022 World Cup, amid a corruption scandal rocking FIFA, according to the AFP. The League's General Assembly in a statement declared its "full support" for Qatar's hosting of the tournament, which would be the first World Cup held in an Arab country. The AL said, "The Arab League endorses the resolution issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemning the hateful campaign that attempts to question Qatar's right to host the 2022 World Cup." On Thursday, the OIC denounced "biased Western media campaigns against
the State of Qatar," and GCC foreign ministers issued a "strongly worded
statement on June 11 affirming their solidarity with their member state." Earlier this month, a FIFA official said that Qatar "could lose the World Cup if allegations of wide-scale bribery could be proved." Qatar has maintained that its bid "remains unaffected by the latest allegations" (AFP, 6/22).
