Qatar accused of World Cup bid sabotage

Qatar's World Cup team used a secret "black operations" propaganda campaign to undermine rival bids in violation of Fifa rules, a British newspaper has reported.

The Sunday Times claims whistleblower emails show the bid team paid a PR firm and ex - CIA agents to disseminate "fake propaganda" concerning main rivals Australia and the US during its campaign to host the 2022 tournament.

Qatar's strategy was to create the impression there was "zero support" to host the World Cup among the rival bidding countries' populations, the paper said.