Days before Qatar was awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup, security documents revealed a terror alert that signaled the Persian Gulf country is a
high risk for terror attacks, The Sunday Times reports.
The U.K. newspaper obtained security briefings that showed FIFA officials were warned that the lives of players and fans would be in danger if the World Cup tournament games were played in Qatar, one of just nine countries that put in bids for the 2018 and 2022 soccer games.
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Andre Pruis was in charge of security for the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa and conducted the security assessment for Qatar. In documents leaked to The Sunday Times, Pruis acknowledged he only had time for a “very limited threat assessment” based mostly on anti-terrorism information obtained by the United States.
“I am of the view that it would be very difficult to deal with a major incident in such an environment without having to cancel the event,” Pruis wrote in the report about Qatar, the Sunday Times reported.
In addition to security concerns, Qatar has been criticized recently for alleged human rights violations against foreign workers sent to the Gulf state to build the stadium for the 2022 World Cup games. An ESPN "E:60" documentary shows workers from Nepal, India, and other countries being treated like what many would call modern-day slaves, living in squalor, being denied medical treatment, and not being allowed to return to their home countries.
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