‘If Qatar drops World Cup it can come back into the fold’

DUBAI: A top Emirati security official says the Qatar diplomatic crisis can end if Doha gives up hosting the 2022 Fifa World Cup – the first time someone from the four Arab nations boycotting the country directly linked the tournament to resolving the months-long dispute.

While Dubai security chief Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan is often outspoken on Twitter, his tweet on Sunday night on the crisis comes as those opposing Qatar increasingly target the upcoming soccer competition in their criticism.

Qatari officials did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

However, the 2022 tournament’s head in Qatar has said the boycott poses “no risk” to the World Cup being held.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all cut diplomatic ties and Qatar has long denied funding extremists and restored full diplomatic ties with Iran amid the dispute.

Doha shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran that makes its citizens incredibly wealthy.

On Sunday, Khalfan targeted the Fifa tournament. “If the World Cup goes out of Qatar, the crisis in Qatar will end,” he tweeted. He added: “The cost to return is more than what the al-Hamdeen have planned for,” likely referring to Qatar’s former ruling emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and former foreign minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani.

Some believe both still wield influence within Qatar’s current government now ruled by the former emir’s son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Khalfan later wrote Qatar “is no longer our concern”, suggesting media in the boycotting countries cut back their coverage of the dispute.