Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who chaired the FIFA Bid Evaluation Group for World Cups in 2018 and 2022, was on Thursday notified by the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee of the reasons for his seven-year ban. 

The adjudicatory chamber, chaired by Mr Hans-Joachim Eckert, had banned Mayne-Nicholls from taking part in any kind of national and international football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of seven years.

The FIFA-led investigation found Mayne-Nicholls guilty of infringing article 13 (General rules of conduct), article 15 (Loyalty), article 19 (Conflicts of interest) and article 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE). 

The adjudicatory chamber described the violation of article 20 as “the most serious breach committed by the official”, contravening a provision that aims at “guaranteeing that the requirement for FIFA – and its bodies and officials – to behave with integrity and neutrality is upheld at all times”.

“Mr Mayne-Nicholls, in his capacity as chairman of the FIFA Bid Evaluation Group for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022, had a special obligation with regard to the integrity and neutrality of his work,” the adjudicatory chamber said.

“Confidence in the work of the Bid Evaluation Group was especially crucial in order for it to properly exercise its powers and duties. After having taken part in an inspection visit to one of the Bid Committees in September 2010, Mr Mayne-Nicholls, at his own initiative, repeatedly asked for personal favours related to the hosting and training of his relatives (a son, nephew and brother-in-law) at an institution linked with that Bid Committee. 

“Not only were these requests of a private nature, but they were made only a few days after the visit to the Bid Committee, during the time the Bid Evaluation Group of which Mr Mayne-Nicholls was the chairman was still exercising its duties and prior to the election of the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. 

“By making the requests, Mr Mayne-Nicholls did not act in FIFA’s interests and ignored his responsibility as a high-ranking FIFA official, someone who was expected to act with utmost neutrality and integrity, in order to pursue his own personal interests.”

Mayne-Nicholls now has the option to lodge an appeal with the FIFA Appeal Committee.

SportAccord Convention has welcomed Qatar Olympic Committee as a Silver Partner for this year’s World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre, Sochi, Russia.

“The Qatar Olympic Committee is pleased to be partnering the SportAccord Convention again this year,” said Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee.

“The Convention always provides an excellent platform for the sporting community to discuss important issues and the QOC looks forward to strengthening existing associations and building new relationships as part of our commitment to international sports development.” 

The Qatar Olympic Committee is the overall supervising body for all sports and events in Qatar. This includes supporting its National Federations in the development of their sports and the organisation of world-class events, promoting community participation and enjoyment of sport, and developing sport at every level.  

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention said, “We are delighted to have Qatar Olympic Committee taking part in the SportAccord Convention. Their return, as a Silver Partner, reinforces the value seen by governing sports bodies and federations, and we are sure the QOC and all sports organisations will further benefit from the opportunities gained, as the Convention grows in stature to the World Sport & Business Summit.”

With a busy sports calendar both nationally and internationally for 2015, including the World Boxing Championships and IPC Athletics World Championships, which are both taking place in Doha in October, the Qatar Olympic Committee is also actively promoting opportunities for women in sport, and the Qatar Women’s Sport Committee was established in 2000 to encourage greater female sports participation. 

At this year’s SportAccord Convention, the Conference Programme includes a Panel Session entitled: When Inequality IS the Legacy and will discuss the challenges that still exist for women and girls, even playing sport at all levels, in some parts of the world, as well as the legacy being left behind for girls starting out in sport today.

The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit is a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across 25+ industry sectors. The 6-day event features a 3-day Conference, dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, MediaAccord, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, as well as hosting the SportAccord Awards, and the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

The fifth venue plan for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup was unveiled on Wednesday. The new Al Rayyan stadium, which replaces an existing smaller football stadium, will have a capacity of 40,000 during the World Cup and be reduced to 21,000 after the tournament. 

The construction project is set to be complete by 2019.

Material from the old stadium is being reused and recycled. The new design incorporates renewable energy and cooling technologies to maximise legacy use.

“Unveiling the design of Al Rayyan stadium is another important step forward in our preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

“We will continue to work tirelessly as our vision for the tournament takes shape on the ground.”

The upper tier of 19,000 seats will be removed after the tournament and sent to developing nations in need of sports infrastructure.

“Qatar has moved from the stage of reiterating its bid commitments towards demonstrating its ability to deliver several important infrastructure projects to the highest international standards in accordance with the timetables set,” said Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Qatar’s Minister of Youth and Sports.

Even though the 2022 World Cup is set to take place in the cooler months of November and December, the stadium will incorporate cooling technology to maximise the venue’s potential for legacy use. 

“The sophisticated modelling employed has heavily influenced the innovative designs for cooling systems and the advanced roof and wind screen design, with best practice being used to optimise designs for waste reduction and energy management strategies,” said Yaver Abidi, regional managing director Middle East and Asia at Ramboll, the lead design consultant on the stadium.

“The Al Rayyan Stadium will deliver an impressive and comfortable experience for fans and players alike and leave a strong legacy for the Al Rayyan community.”

90 per cent of materials from the deconstruction of the current stadium is being re-used. Some of the materials will be used by local and international artists to create works of public art.

Doors, windows, frames, water fixtures and fittings, light switches and sockets have been used in construction site accommodation and offices. Concrete has been crushed and stored for future site levelling works. Reinforcement bars and other metals will be recycled by Qatar Steel. Topsoil has been stockpiled for future precinct landscaping works, while scrap timber will be recycled by licensed centres across Qatar.

The stadium precinct’s carbon footprint will be reduced through the use of on-site renewable energy, lightweight building design, careful selection of materials and energy and water efficiency measures. 

The stadium is designed with the goal of certification under both the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.

David Barwell, chief executive Middle East and India of AECOM said: “As the project manager for the Al Rayyan Stadium and Precinct, we see our strength in connection, bringing together our global team of experts from previous major sporting and FIFA events, and the embedded knowledge in country, technology and cooling experts, all of which is led by our strong project, commercial management and delivery team. 

“We connect the collective knowledge, experience and innovative ideas to create an amazing sporting venue that brings people closer together and close to the action. The community and culture of Al Rayyan has been at the heart of what we are trying to achieve, creating a destination venue that will leave a meaningful legacy they can be proud of, now and in the future.”

The stadium design is intended to reflect Al Rayyan’s sporting heritage and Qatar’s environment, through patterns and designs on the stadium’s façade.

“The stadium’s distinctive façade was created using cutting-edge parametric design tools so that it also plays an important role in cooling the building.” said Dipesh Patel, architect and founder of Pattern Design, the lead design consultants on Al Rayyan. “The result is a landmark for Qatar that works effectively both as a world-stage for sport and, we hope, something that is genuinely meaningful and welcoming locally."

Al Rayyan Stadium is the fifth stadium design the Supreme Committee has unveiled. Work is now underway across the following stadiums: Al Wakrah, Al Bayt – Al Khor, Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar Foundation Stadium & Health and Wellness Precinct and Al Rayyan Stadium.

SportAccord Convention has signed Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority as a Bronze Partner for this year’s World Sport & Business Summit, taking place from 19-24 April 2015, at the Sochi Expocentre, Sochi, Russia.

“Ahead of the 2019 World Athletics Championship and the FIFA World Cup 2022, business opportunities are thriving across sports-related industries in Qatar, ” said Martin Tidestrom, business development director, Qatar Financial Centre Authority.

“The SportAccord Convention will allow us to engage first-hand with industry leaders, key policymakers, and service and technology suppliers looking to establish a presence in Qatar.” 

The QFC Authority is an on-shore business and financial centre located in Doha and has been instrumental in helping to develop the private sector in Qatar.

“The SportAccord Convention provides a unique opportunity for the Qatar Financial Centre Authority to fulfil its obligations and commitments, by enabling access to Sport and Industry Leaders, in one location, at the World Sport & Business Summit,” said Nis Hatt, managing director, SportAccord Convention.

“We’re delighted to have the QFC Authority onboard and wish them every success at the Convention.”

The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit is a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across 25+ industry sectors. The 6-day event features a 3-day Conference, dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, MediaAccord, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, as well as hosting the SportAccord Sports Awards, and the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport. 

Established by the Government of Qatar in 2005, the QFC is an on-shore centre which has become an integral part of Qatar’s economy and rapid growth story and is fulfilling its mandate to help build a world-class financial and business environment in Qatar, providing a platform for domestic, regional and international growth. The QFC Authority is the commercial and strategic arm of the QFC, it is responsible for developing and ensuring compliance with the QFC regulations and rules comprising the QFC’s legal and tax environments and it helps firms to quickly establish a physical presence in Qatar and the region. 

The QFC continues to attract a broad range of leading regulated and non-regulated firms, both domestic and international. QFC-licensed firms benefit from an environment which operates to international standards, with a legal system based on English Common Law, regulation which is risk and principles-based, and a competitive tax regime.

The IAAF awarded its flagship event, the 2021 World Championships, to the US city of Eugene on Wednesday in a surprise move that has provoked condemnation by the governing body of athletics in Europe.

The decision was made at a meeting of the IAAF Council in Beijing, bypassing the usual bidding procedure.

“Although this decision departs from the usual procedure, I am delighted that my Council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport,” said IAAF president Lamine Diack.

“In granting the championships to Eugene the IAAF Council have made a clear choice on a strategic decision that enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may never arise again, whereby public authorities, the private sector, the national Olympic Committee, NBC and a particularly enthusiastic public are joining forces.”

The news was greeted with surprise and consternation by European Athletics.

“I would like to congratulate USA Track & Field and Vin Lananna, who has led Eugene’s bid, but I must say I am very surprised by the complete lack of process in the decision the IAAF has taken,” said Svein Arne Hansen, who was elected as president of European Athletics last week.

“The IAAF knew that Gothenburg was a serious candidate for the 2021 World Championships. Swedish Athletics and the city had put in a lot of effort over the years to prepare the bidding application but they have not even been given the chance to bid for the event. 

“I have already spoken to Swedish Athletics Federation President Björn Eriksson and he is deeply disappointed about what has happened. 

“I completely understand the disappointment of Björn and Göteborg & Co. CEO Camilla Nyman. I know that 2021 was the most important year for the city because it is when they will celebrate their 400th anniversary. 

“This type of decision would just not happen within European Athletics as we have a comprehensive bidding process that all candidates must follow.” 

Eugene bid for the 2019 Championships and lost out to Doha by just 15 votes to 12 votes, after Doha reportedly promised to raise $37 million for the IAAF from broadcasting and merchandise revenues. 

With 2021 going to the USA, this will be the first time a World Championships will be held outside of Europe for two consecutive editions. 

“This is, of course, not good for the development of our sport on the continent. European Athletics expects the World Championships to come back to Europe in 2023,” said Hansen.

HBK Contracting Company has laid the first concrete above ground at Al Wakrah stadium, the first of five new venues being built to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“We have started laying the foundation of 168 m3 of structural concrete in our east slab,” said Abdulla Al-Marri, senior project engineer at the Al Wakrah Precinct. 

“This is an important achievement, being the first above-ground casting of concrete at the site which will incorporate the structural elements to begin vertical construction.”

To lay the concrete slab at double the usual speed, HBK is using two pumps that work simultaneously.

The foundations of the stadium will feature 84 concrete piles, measuring 19 m by 1.2 m. Enabling works contractor HBK has poured 55 of these so far, the first pile being cast in December 2014, a year after the designs and location of the first new venue for the 2022 World Cup were made public.

According to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the organisation responsible for hosting the World Cup, a top priority now for the enabling works contractor is to cast the remaining foundations to allow the Main Work Contractor to start building the stadium on these foundations. 

The Supreme Committee also identified completing drainage works and excavations around the stadium as a priority for HBK.

According to the Supreme Committee, HBK has completed over one million Lost Time Accident (LTA) free man-hours. 

“We observe that all safety measures are in place before works starts and we reward safety practices every month,” said Al-Marri. 

The Al Wakrah site is to hold a “safety fair” in March as part of regular safety training across all Supreme Committee sites. 

The stadium will have 40,000 seats during the World Cup, with 20,000 seats on the upper tiers to be removed after 2022 and sent to developing countries in need of sporting infrastructure.

The stadium will be the future home of Al Wakrah Sports Club. It will be surrounded by approximately 560,000 m2 (60 ha) of legacy precinct with a new sports centre and community facilities including a park, mosque, school, hotel, wedding hall, vocational training centre and retail outlets. 

British minister for the Cabinet Office and paymaster general Francis Maude this week met with senior Qatari officials, one of whom is to visit London next week to meet with experts on cybersecurity. 

Maude was in Qatar to discuss transparency, “open government” and cybersecurity – a critical issue for the hosts of major events. 

“I chaired the cabinet committee in Britain on the 2012 Olympics and cyber security was a big concern,” Maude told the Gulf Times. 

“We want to work very closely with the Qatar government in preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The lessons of how and what we did and all of that, we are very keen to share it with our friends,” he said, adding that Qatar and the UK have “a huge amount of common ground.”

The UK signed a security pact with Qatar last year, under which the two countries security agencies are sharing intelligence. 

Information sharing between countries is crucial to maintain the security of data, as the internet transcends national boundaries. 

“Governments need to work together in real time, with business and other organisations to share knowledge, information and capability quickly and effectively. Building those close relationships on these matters with our governments is of first importance.”

Bilateral trade between Qatar and the UK is valued at about GB£5.4bn (QAR30bn/US$8.2bn) annually. A British Chamber of Commerce was established in Qatar last month to boost cooperation between Qatari and British small to medium sized enterprises.

“There is a lot of Qatari investment in London and elsewhere in Britain, and we are busy building that up,” said Maude. 

“We want Britain to be the best place in the world for companies to do business and we want to work with our friends and colleagues in Qatar for the benefit of both countries.”

A FIFA task force charged with identifying the least disruptive timeframe for hosting the 2022 World Cup finished its six month consultation process today with the recommendation that the event should take place at the end of the year.

The task force has identified end of November to the end of December as the most viable period to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

To minimise disruption to domestic leagues, the tournament will take place over a slightly shorter timeframe than usual, depending on the number of venues to be used. 

According to unconfirmed reports, the tournament could run right up to Christmas with the final taking place on 23 December. 

The dates are set to be confirmed at the next FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Zurich on 19 and 20 March 2015.

 “The outcome of the discussions is also a proposed reduced competition days schedule with the exact dates to be defined in line with the match schedule and number of venues to be used for the 22nd edition of football’s flagship event,” said FIFA. 

How many venues Qatar will use for the World Cup is still unknown. 12 venues were proposed in the bid; FIFA’s minimum requirement is eight but it would be difficult to shorten the timeframe of the tournament with so few venues. 

Reducing the number of teams from 32 or matches from 64 has not been discussed.

Qatar’s bid for the World Cup was based on a summer tournament, but since being awarded the right to host the event it has become evident that the temperatures would be too high, even with advanced cooling technologies.  

A FIFA statement also cited the 2022 Winter Olympics and Ramadan as immovable obstacles.

“Given that the two bidding cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics - Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China PR) - pledged recently to host the winter games from 4 to 20 February 2022; that the month of Ramadan begins on 2 April in 2022; and that consistently hot conditions prevail from May to September in Qatar, the only remaining effective option is the November/December window,” said FIFA.

Postponing the event until early 2023 is not an option due to legal reasons, FIFA said.

FIFA says the proposal has the full support of all six confederations. However, European leagues have fought hard to avoid the competition taking place during their calendar. 

England’s Premier League said in a statement: "The 2022 World Cup was bid for and awarded to Qatar as a summer tournament.

"The prospect of a winter World Cup is neither workable nor desirable for European domestic football."

FIFA said the task force took on board the considerations of everyone concerned. 

“The analysis aimed to find the most viable solution for all stakeholders, covering the likely and possible impacts of conditions on players, staff and fans, as well as the knock-on effect for domestic leagues. 

“The representatives of the leagues once again emphasised the impact that a November/December tournament would have on their respective calendars.

“The members deliberated over the various options to determine the least impact on the national and international football calendars.

Discussions are also underway about whether to move some of the qualification matches, with a final phase in early 2022 under consideration.

“We are very pleased that, after careful consideration of the various opinions and detailed discussions with all stakeholders, we have identified what we believe to be the best solution for the 2018-2024 international match calendar and football in general,” said Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the chair of the FIFA task force.

“It was a challenging task and I want to thank all members of the football community for their productive input and constructiveness in helping to find a solution that we believe can work for everyone.”

Luis Figo, the retired Portuguese footballer who is running for the presidency of FIFA, has said that the organisation is right to recommend hosting the World Cup in late November and December 2022 – despite the disruption this would cause to the European football leagues.

“The FIFA Task Force recommendation is the right decision for the World Cup,” he said in a statement. 

After a six month consultation process, the FIFA task force recommended earlier today that the 2022 World Cup should take place at the end of the year, to avoid clashing with the Olympic Games, Ramadan and the hottest months of the year. 

“It has to be played in the best possible conditions for the fans and players who will enjoy a great World Cup atmosphere, and for Qatar who deserve to be put in the position to organise a great event,” Figo said.

“With good will and a sense of solidarity it is always possible to find the right solutions.”

Figo’s endorsement is in contrast to the reaction of other leading European football administrators. The European Professional Football Leagues and the European Clubs Association had been pressing for the World Cup to take place from 5 May to 4 June and will continue to oppose the proposed date change. 

Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the English Premier League, said “It's the European leagues and European clubs that are going to suffer the most, so it's very disappointing."

While Figo has been outspoken about the need for transparency in FIFA, he is taking a very diplomatic stance on the issue of Qatar’s right to host the World Cup. At the launch of the manifesto for his presidential campaign last week, he acknowledged that there are reports of “irregularities that have taken place, reports not made public” but said “If there are no irregularities, I don’t think Qatar should be prejudiced [against].”

The IAAF evaluation commission left Doha on Friday, having completed their inspections of all three cities bidding to host the 2019 World Athletics Championships, having visited competitors Barcelona and Eugene earlier in October.

The IAAF’s group of experts is producing reports evaluating the bids to host the 2019 IAAF World Championships. The host city of the flagship biennial athletics event will be elected at the IAAF council meeting in Monaco on 18 November.

Qatar's biggest city officially submitted its candidature file to host the Championships on September 25 and is competing against bids from Barcelona and Eugene in the US state of Oregon. 

Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Dahlan Hamad, the president of the Qatar Athletics Federation, welcomed the evaluation commission, chaired by IAAF Vice-President Sebastian Coe, on Thursday. 

The Doha 2019 Bid Committee and its partner, the Aspire Zone presented to the IAAF at Khalifa International Stadium. 

“It is an honour to welcome the IAAF Evaluation Commission on their inspection tour of Doha and we hope to demonstrate Doha’s true character as a sporting hub for the region and the world,” said Hamad. “We are committed to continuing our work with the IAAF to develop athletics and ensure a lasting legacy from the World Championships for generations to come.”

Ali Saeid Al Fhaida, acting director of Aspire Logistics, took the Evaluation Commission on a tour of the Aspire Zone’s facilities, which have played host to several international sporting events including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2011 Arab Games.

Doha is also hosting the 2015 Asian Youth Athletics Championships.

The commission also saw the ongoing renovation of the Khalifa International Stadium, where they were greeted by members of the Qatar National Athletics team as well as Russian hurdler and Doha 2019 Ambassador Sergey Shubenkov. 

“I am supporting Doha 2019 because I believe that it would inspire a whole new region to participate in athletics,” Shubenkov said.

“The Middle East has never hosted the World Championships before and 60 per cent of this region’s population is under the age of 30. This brings an unrivalled opportunity to showcase athletics and introduce a new generation to track and field.” 

Another bid partner, Msheireb Properties, gave a presentation to the commission at its Enrichment Center on Doha’s Corniche waterfront, giving more information about its ambitious plans for an “Athletics City” that would replace the traditional Athletes’ Village concept.

A single, brand-new 35 hectare mixed-use development called Msheireb Downtown Doha, in the heart of the city, will be handed over in its entirety for the dedicated use of the 2019 Championships.

The commission also visited the Qatar National Convention Centre, which would host the IAAF’s Congress in 2019 in the event of Doha overcoming Barcelona and Eugene in its bid to host the World Athletics Championships.

After the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, the IAAF World Championships is the third largest sporting event in the world, with more than 200 participating nations, more than 2,000 athletes and an estimated global TV audience of 6 billion over 200 territories and 9 days of competition.

The next IAAF World Championships will take place in Beijing in 2015 followed by London 2017.