The shock that greeted Sepp Blatter's annoucement of Qatar as the hosts for the 2022 World Cup was felt around the world. The tiny, oil-rich Gulf nation had never come anywhere close to competing in the competition before and had no real history when it came to the sport. Since then, accusations about bribes and dodgy backroom deals have brought down FIFA's corrupt organisation, including its President Sepp Blatter. Qatar roped in plenty of big names from the world of football to support its bid, including UEFA President and former France international Michel Platini, ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane. Zizou's exact role is unclear, but he presumably wined, dined and took selfies with FIFA execs in order to get them to vote for a country he had no real attachment to. There's no suggestion of impopriety on Zidane's part, but you have to wonder whether he looks back with fondness on his part in the most contraversial World Cup hosting vote in history, and the scandal that brought FIFA tumbling down.
David is an office drone and freelance writer for WhatCulture and Moviepilot, among others. He's also foolishly writing a serialised novel on Jukepop and has his own irregularly updated website. He's available for freelance work. Reach out on Twitter to @davefox990
