Phaedra Almajid, the American-based Qatari who made widespread charges of corruption in Qatari's successful bid to win the right to host 2022 World Cup, retracted her story, saying she had made it all up.

Almajid was employed as an international media specialist at Qatar's 2022 bid committee between May 2009 and March 2010 and alleged, among other things, Qatar paid huge bribes to three African FIFA executive committee members. The Sunday Times never published the charges but the allegations were made by the House of Commons select committee for culture, media and sport via a letter from the Sunday Times.

Almajid said she wanted to "hurt" the bid after they decided to remove her from her job for failing to competently handle the international media and she wanted to show them "I could control the international media."