Revelations Coming? France Mulls Inquiry Into Qatar's 2022 World Cup Bid

French authorities are considering the possibility of launching an inquiry into how Qatar obtained the right to host the 2022 World Cup, France's financial prosecutor Eliane Houlette said.

In an interview with French radio Europe 1, Houlette mentioned the existence of "several elements" that urge France to examine the issue, apparently implying possible bribery and corruption.

"We are thinking about it, we have several elements that encourage us to investigate," Houlette told.

Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup as result of FIFA's executive committee voting in December 2010. The United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan also competed for the right to host the tournament.

The scandal erupted following reports of the British media saying that a former member of the executive committee Mohamed bin Hammam paid more than $5 million to ensure that Qatar wins the right to host the FIFA World Cup. FIFA conducted its own investigation and found no violations in the voting process.

French financial prosecutors may initiate an investigation if they find indications that French citizens were involved in any illegal activities during the selection process or that such illegal activities took place in France.

Earlier this month, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has acknowledged the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to suspend former UEFA President Michel Platini from any football-related activity for four years due to his involvement in bribery and corruption activities, according to FIFA's press service.

Platini and former FIFA President Joseph Blatter were both handed 8-year suspensions last December for their role in a major FIFA corruption scandal. It erupted after Swiss authorities opened a criminal case against Blatter in September over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.03 million at current exchange rates) that he made to Platini. However, later the ban was reduced to six years.

In May 2015, Swiss police started an investigation related to FIFA's executive committee decision to vote for Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, respectively.

According to reports, the number of suspicious financial transactions related to the FIFA decision exceeded 150.