Major scandal rocks Qatar World Cup as host nation accused of bribing Ecuador $7.4m to lose opener

The FIFA World Cup 2022 has already been marred by controversies even before it kicked off and now, hosts Qatar have found themselves under the scanner for another serious allegation: bribing opponents to lose games.

Just a day before the quadrennial show kicked off at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of the capital Doha, it has come to the fore that the host nation allegedly offered bribe to eight players of Ecuador, the team it would face in the opening game on Sunday (20), to lose the opening game.

According to Amjad Taha, an expert in strategic political affairs and regional director of the British centre in Saudi Arabia, Qatar allegedly bribed with $7.4 million (£6.2 million) to win the first game.

He said his sources were insiders from the camps of the two teams and urged the world to take on FIFA corruption.

"Exclusive: Qatar bribed eight Ecuadorian players $7.4 million to lose the opener(1-0 2nd half). Five Qatari and #Ecadour insiders confirmed this.We hope it's false. We hope sharing this will affect the outcome.The world should oppose FIFA corruption. @MailSport #WorldCup2022," Taha tweeted.

Both Qatar and Ecuador are among the lowest ranked teams in this World Cup and their opening match in Group A, which also features the Netherlands and Senegal, will be their best chance to earn points.

Neither Qatar nor FIFA made a statement since the allegation was made, it was reported.

Till date, the two sides have met each other three times with both winning a game and one match ending in a draw. The last time they met was in October 2018 when the Asian side secured a 4-3 win.

Qatar will be making their debut in the World Cup this year. The last time a team won its first match in the World Cup was in 2002 when Senegal beat the then defending champions France.

The Middle-Eastern nation has already been accused of human rights violations, corruption, and other controversial decisions such as banning beer in stadiums ahead of this year's World Cup.