Japan ready to host 2022 FIFA World Cup if event stripped from Qatar

Japan says it is ready to host the 2022 World Cup if world football governing FIFA strips Qatar of the tournament rights over corruption allegations.

Japan Football Association (JFA) President Kuniya Daini said the country would step in if required.

In a recent interview, Daini stated “if FIFA look for an alternative country, we already have the stadiums that would meet the criteria to host it.

“We have the Olympics in 2020. If there is a chance, we’d like to do it, although I don’t know how likely that would be.”

Japan, one of the countries that lost out to Qatar in bidding to host the 2022 World Cup, co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with  South Korea.

The process which led to Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup has come under increasing scrutiny and is currently the subject of an investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee, headed by former US District Attorney Michael Garcia.

It comes amid ongoing debate over whether the event should be staged during the Arabian Gulf’s notoriously hot summer months.

Qater has been widely criticised for its treatment of foreign construction workers building stadia and infrastructure for the event, with figures obtained showing that 450 migrants from India alone had died over the past two years.

However, the head of Qatar’s World Cup delivery committee, Nasser al Khater, has stated “there has not been a single injury or death on the World Cup projects”, saying “it’s not possible to have 400 deaths when you are still digging a hole in the ground.

“Contrary to what the international media says there has not been a single injury or death on the World Cup projects ... so I would like to make sure this matter is put to rest.”

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