FIFA World Cup 2022: The Importance Of Corporate Whistleblowing

• Published date: 22 November 2022
• Subject Matter: Employment and HR, Criminal Law, White Collar Crime, Anti-Corruption & Fraud, Whistleblowing
• Law Firm: Safecall
• Author: &nbsp Safecall

The FIFA World Cup 2022 began yesterday, and all eyes are turned toward Qatar for four weeks of sporting entertainment. The squads are in the Middle-East - it's the first time the tournament has been hosted in the region - and are preparing for their opening fixtures.

But hanging over this prestigious event is the shadow of reputational damage.

That's because the tournament has been mired by controversy and allegations of misconduct against both FIFA and the governing bodies in Qatar.

Since the successful bid to host was announced in 2010, there have been concerns over corruption, financial misconduct and human rights violations.

The issues raised by critics of the 2022 World Cup primarily fall under two categories:

• Allegations of corruption and bribery associated with Qatar's successful bid to host.
• The failures of relevant parties in Qatar to protect migrant workers.

The importance of whistleblowing in exposing malpractice within both FIFA and Qatari stakeholders cannot be overstated. So, with that in mind, it's important to ask: could this have been prevented? And what lessons can we learn from these events?

Protecting your employees

No individual who feels compelled to come forward with information in the public interest should fear retaliation.

But that's not what happened in this case.

Phaedra Almajid, the whistleblower who claimed to have been in the room when Qatar paid $1.5m to the African Football Confederation president Hayatou, had agreed to come forward with information under the condition of anonymity. ¹ This condition was not upheld and Almajid was named in the investigatory report. Since then, Almajid has claimed to have "received threats against her and her children."²

Similarly, Abdullah Ibhais - an imprisoned World Cup organising committee whistleblower - claims to be the victim of retaliatory action and was recently found guilty during a hearing held in the absence of "the defendant, and his lawyer, and anybody or entity that represents him."³

Concerns over legal or professional consequence are the top reasons given for not reporting wrongdoing. These concerns can be alleviated by:

• Ensuring your investigators are adequately trained and resourced to effectively and thoroughly process a report of wrongdoing in a timely manner. This is crucial. Not only to help prevent or minimise loss of assets - as well as aiding the recovery of lost assets - but also to support and protect whistleblowers Reducing and preventing detrimental...