Qatar has granted a 3.1 billion Qatari riyal (approximately $851 million) contract to Italian firm Salini Impregilo Group to construct the Al Bayt Al Khor stadium for the 2022 World Cup, despite ongoing investigations into FIFA corruption.
The firm will work in collaboration with Oman-based contractors Galfar and another Italian firm, Cimolai, to build, operate and maintain the new stadium, according to an official statement. The winning contract beat out bids by competitors from France, Austria, India, and East Asia.
Aspire Zone, a Qatari government organization responsible for the development of sports infrastructure in the emirate, awarded the contract. The location of the stadium in Al Khor is some 50 kilometers north of Doha.
With an area of 200,000 square meters and 70,000 seats, the massive stadium is scheduled for completion by September 2018.
The Italian firm has already been working on the Red Line North for the Doha Metro project and the Abu Hamour hydraulic project.
Qatar's bid to host the 2022 international event has been questioned ever since it was announced as the host in 2010. Recently, the arrest of numerous prominent FIFA officials, along with the raid on the organization's Zurich headquarters and President Sepp Blatter's resignation, have added new fuel to accusations of bribery on the part of Qatar.
Throughout the ordeal, Qatar has maintained its innocence in any wrong doing, insisting that it simply presented the best bid. However, just this past weekend Blatter told media that former French and German leaders lobbied their FIFA delegates on behalf of Qatar.
However, with such a massive deal moving forward, it seems like Qatar remains undeterred by the ongoing FIFA scandal.