Ever since the awarding of the championship in 2010, Qatar has been heavily criticized for corruption and violations of human rights. For fear of losing the championship, the golfing country is said to have adopted unusual means to change people’s opinions about them as World Cup hosts. The Swiss national broadcaster SRF can reveal that. According to the channel, Qatar used the American company Global Risk Advisors, headed by former CIA spy Kevin Chalker, to monitor the FIFA summits and hack their computers. The operation was nicknamed “Project Merciless” – Prosjekt Nådeløs – and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter had been a key target, claims SRF. – I was not aware of this. I discovered from time to time that my phone was being tapped, and that people around me were passing on information they were not supposed to. But the fact that there was organized espionage against FIFA surprises me. It is worrying that people do this, says the former FIFA boss to SRF. In front of the SRF, Chalker denies the accusations of espionage. Qatar has not responded to the channel’s questions about the matter. news has sent an inquiry to the Qatari authorities, but has not yet received a reply. EX-PRESIDENT: Sepp Blatter was earlier this year in court accused of financial fraud. The Swiss has retired after a number of years as FIFA president. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP German FIFA top felt “brainwashed” Qatar’s wish was to get information about what Blatter and the other FIFA tops planned and had intentions to do with the 2022 World Cup, it is claimed. The country’s top commanders are said to have been aware of the espionage, which spanned nine years and cost over NOK 4 billion. Germany’s former football president Theo Zwanziger called the Qatar World Cup “the cancer of football”. Qatar is said to have feared his strong voice, and the espionage mission set aside close to NOK 100 million to influence him in the opposite direction. Employees of Global Risk Advisors are said to have built relationships with people close to Zwanziger, who suddenly heard a lot of good things about Qatar. The German was eventually put in charge of a group in FIFA that would work for more human rights, but less criticism of Qatar. Similar methods are also said to have been used to monitor and smear other FIFA top brass. Zwanziger admits today that a number of people managed to steer him in a direction that coincided with Qatar’s interests. – It feels like brainwashing to use such means. It is not only inappropriate, it is criminal, he tells SRF. FRIENDS: Gianni Infantino greets the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the World Cup draw. Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP Zwanziger stresses, however, that his opinions on Qatar never changed. He still believes that the upcoming World Cup is “cancer” and continues to put pressure on the current FIFA leadership. – This is a scandal that should be addressed. First and foremost by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but he is not going to do it because he is a servant of Qatar, thunders Zwanziger. Earlier this year it was revealed that Infantino has moved to Qatar. He has repeatedly avoided making strong criticism of the championship. – The ultimate irony news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt says that nothing surprises him anymore about the imminent world championship. – The ultimate irony. And almost a little comical. Just before an already scandalous World Cup, created and defended by FIFA, in the end it’s them themselves that matters, he says. – This is the only thing that could have caused FIFA to threaten Qatar with taking the championship away from them, had it only been revealed a little earlier, he continues. COMMENTATOR: Jan Petter Saltvedt. Photo: ALEM ZEBIC / news And Saltvedt is probably right that the championship goes as planned. On November 20, the host nation and Ecuador kick off the first ball in a stadium built by migrant workers. news’s commentator concludes with another jab at the FIFA managers. – Now I am excited to see if there will actually be a compensation fund after all. Not for families of dead migrant workers, but for hacked FIFA tops, says Saltvedt, referring to the planned fund that will provide financial support to migrant workers’ families. Spy chief under investigation The spies used different methods to achieve their goals, writes SRF. On behalf of Qatar, Global Risk Advisors will, among other things, have hacked the e-mail accounts, computers and phones of the top football players, and their friends and family. Nyhetsbyrået Ap has previously told about parts of the surveillance. According to documents in their possession, CIA agent Chalker is said to have also promised Qatar that he would help them “maintain dominance” over the country’s guest workers. Qatar has been completely dependent on foreign labor to build stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup. However, it has been revealed that the workers work in slave-like conditions. Chalker himself is said to have gone to Switzerland to plant surveillance equipment in the hotel rooms of FIFA officials and journalists. He is now under investigation by the American FBI for the espionage he did for Qatar, writes Ap.
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