Report: Qatar Employs Ex-CIA Agent To Spy on FIFA

The government of Qatar has for years employed a former CIA agent to spy on officials of FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, as well as rival bid teams, in its effort to win and hold onto the 2022 World Cup tournament, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. The investigation uncovered evidence that companies run by former CIA officer Kevin Chalker provided the small Gulf state with a variety of intelligence and cybersecurity services to keep tabs on rival countries’ campaigns to win the right to host the World Cup as well as critics of country, in particular for its treatment of the foreign workers who make up the vast majority of its population and who would be needed to build stadiums and other facilities and infrastructure for the tournament. Qatar’s biggest rival in the hosting competition was the United States, itself. Both the Qatari government and FIFA declined to comment on the story.