By Greg Hazley
Amid corruption allegations over Qatar’s successful pitch for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the PR campaign that boosted the bid was denied a top award by voters for the Chartered Institute for PR’s annual competition this week.
Vero Communications’ effort for the Qatar 2022 bid committee was named a finalist for a CIPR Excellence Award in the global PR category, but lost to a Unilever campaign by salt PR at the annual event June 1.
The country’s victory was a surprise around the world and Vero’s entry for the PR competition was titled “From Long Shot to 2022 World Cup Host.”
Qatar in December beat the U.S., Australia, South Korea and Japan for the 2022 tournament.
Lee |
The country has been besieged by allegations this month sparked when the Sunday Times of London reported on and gave evidence to the British Parliament that FIFA officials took $1.5M bribes from Qatar in the competition for hosting duties for the world’s most-watched sporting event. The allegations also claimed that payments were made to FIFA voters to sway the 2010 bid campaign.
London-based Vero Communications is led by Mike Lee, who headed PR for London’s successful 2012 Olympic bid. Lee was questioned earlier this month by the British House of Commons on the Qatar bid and said there was no wrongdoing.
Qatar Denies Reports
The Qatar Football Association issued a nearly 1,700 statement last week denying the allegations and criticizing the report.
“To have this achievement tarnished by completely unsubstantiated and false allegations and for those allegations to be propounded by the Parliament of the United Kingdom is something we find distressing, insulting and incomprehensible,” said the QFA.
The episode has had a deleterious effect on the image of FIFA, which recently suspended two executive members after they allegedly tried to sell their votes for 2018 and 2022. One of the executives then released a memo from the soccer governing body’s general secretary, Jerome Valcke, claiming Qatar “bought” the 2022 World Cup, although Valcke later said he was referring to the country’s lavish spending on its bid.
The New York Times, in a front-page piece today, said FIFA’s longtime president was nevertheless re-elected this week after he ran unopposed.
|