ZURICH: European politicians’ demands for re-vote on the hosting of the 2022 World Cup have been turned down by world football federation FIFA writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

The latest proposal followed a debate by the 47-strong Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.

Opposition to the Qatar hosting was largely based on repots of illicit payments to football officials made by the Qatari former Asian confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam.

PACE, which acted after registering a report by British Labour MP Michael Connarty, has no legal powers to force FIFA into action.

Connarty’s report – ‘The reform of football governance’ – claimed that the original procedure was so “fundamentally undermined by illegality” that it should be re-run using fairer procedures.

He said: “My report is recommending that recognition of that breach of law should mean re-running the process for choosing the country for the 2022 event.”

FIFA’s former ethics prosecutor, American attornety Michel Garcia, spent three years investigating the bid process but apparently turned up no material evidence to justify action against Qatari bid officials.

A spokesman for FIFA, responding to the PACE resolution, said: “Recent developments and decisions have either been omitted or inaccurately reflected.”

###############