UPDATE (July 16): Reuters news agency has learned that the story claiming six Arab nations wrote to FIFA demanding Qatar be stripped of the World Cup was published on what appeared to be a fake version of a Swiss news website.
The report, carried on a website resembling The Local, included quotes purporting to be from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“The Local’s staff neither wrote, published nor removed the article in question and The Local can therefore not vouch for any of the claims made,” co-founder James Savage said in a statement on Sunday.
Global News regrets the error.
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LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) – A story claiming that six Arab nations had written to FIFA demanding that Qatar be stripped of the World Cup in 2022 was published on what appeared to be a fake version of a Swiss news website, the site’s co-founder said on Sunday.
The report, carried on a website resembling The Local, included quotes purporting to be from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
It said that the six countries, which last month cut ties with Qatar, had collectively written to world soccer’s governing body asking it to remove Qatar as hosts under Article 85 of the FIFA Code, which allows for such action in the case of emergency.
READ MORE: FIFA says Qatar ‘may not have’ met World Cup bid standards, but it’s still hosting it
“The Local’s staff neither wrote, published nor removed the article in question and The Local can therefore not vouch for any of the claims made,” co-founder James Savage said in a statement on Sunday.
“Our investigation so far indicates the article appeared on a fake site designed to look like The Local, and never appeared on The Local’s own site.”
READ MORE: Qatar hires ex-US attorney general John Ashcroft to fight terrorist financing claims
Reuters published stories based on the report, which were subsequently withdrawn.
The Local publishes in English and operates nine news sites across Europe.
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