A top Emirati security official said that the only way for "Qatar's crisis" to end is "if Doha gave up hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup," according to Jon Gambrell of the AP. Dubai security Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan's comments come "amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute between the energy-rich nation and four Arab countries." Khalfan, "known for being outspoken on Twitter," later wrote Monday his "personal analysis" of what he described as the "financial pressure Doha faces in hosting the games" had been misunderstood. But his remarks came as lobbying firms backed by the four nations opposing Qatar in the diplomatic dispute "increasingly target" the upcoming competition in their criticism. The tournament has not come up in the demands previously made by the boycotting countries, though losing the World Cup would represent a "bitter defeat for the tiny peninsular nation" that has "pushed itself onto the world stage" with its bid and its Al-Jazeera satellite news network. Qatari officials did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. However, the '22 tournament's head in Qatar said on Friday that the boycott poses "no risk" to the competition being held. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all cut diplomatic ties and began a boycott of Qatar on June 5, "in part over allegations that Doha supports extremists and has overly warm ties to Iran." On Sunday, Khalfan targeted the tournament in his tweets. He wrote, "If the World Cup leaves Qatar, Qatar's crisis will be over ... because the crisis is created to get away from it" (AP, 10/9).
