HERE are five extremely different countries which I would like you to put in order of who should host the next next football World Cup.

The United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Qatar.

As it so happens, that would be my one to five in terms of where I believe the tournament could and should take place - but of course won’t - for all manner of reasons.

The 1994 World Cup in America was the poorest I can recall but it wasn’t a football country then. That has changed. Also, lessons were learned regarding asking teams and supporters to travel huge distances. And they can put on a show.

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Australia has yet to hold a World Cup and it could be argued it was probably their turn. Most wouldn’t have a problem with that. Japan host the rugby World Cup this year and with South Korea did a great job in 2002.

Everyone I know who travelled east loved the experience.

And then we have Qatar. Did anyone not have them in last place? No is the answer,

When in December 2010, a vote for the 2022 venue was taken by 22 executive committee members of FIFA with one country going out at each stage of the process.

The first round went like this: Australia 1, Japan 3, USA 3, South Korea 4, Qatar 11 (Australia eliminated). Since then, 16 members of the committee have been struck off, suspended or remain under investigation. Funny that. Actually, it’s depressing.

When the world’s richest country won that vote, I worked in the United Arab Emirates, a short fight from Doha. I mixed with a few high-ranking locals, all men of course, and they would quite happily talk about their neighbours’ bid being, ironically, less than kosher, but were excited about the World Cup coming to the region.

The talk then was that FIFA would extend the number of teams from 32 to 48 – something which only recently was kicked out – because that would have meant the UAE, which had some good stadiums in place even then, probably being joint hosts.

Back then in that part of the Middle East, few believed Qatar could do it on their own.

Throwing money at a problem can make the problem go away. A World Cup in one of the hottest countries on earth during the summer months was going to be an issue. So, too, the fact Doha, the capital, was the only real city in a small desert country with a population of £1.7million.

Then there were the human rights issues, anti-LGBT laws, where you could get a good booze before the game. Oh, and how in the name of Pele did FIFA believe Qatar were more equipped than the US, by 14 votes to eight in the final count, to host such a huge tournament, difficult for any country, when saddled with so many extra problems.

Good job, then, Qatar has so much money.

I have never doubted the Qataris could pull it off. Having lived in that bit of the world, the way massive structures can be thrown up in no time at all is impressive; so long as you’re not the one who has to work on the building site.

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It’s ignorant, bordering on racist. to think the Qataris aren’t fully aware that for a month of so, local laws and customs will be ignored, that football would find a way to move the tournament to the winter and that three years from now, it would all go off without any real hitch.

But here’s a thing. There is nothing to see. Take it from someone who has been there. There is sand. Lots of it. But that gets boring after an hour. There’s no history, no culture, only shiny new buildings.

Doha is worth a visit, but it’s not New York, Sydney, Tokyo or Seoul. And there isn’t much after Doha. There is plenty more to do in the four countries ‘not good enough’ to cover the World Cup. Does anyone out there really believe this was a football decision? Never mind the alleged back-handers, this was a crime against football.

Yesterday morning began with the news Michel Platini, the former president of UEFA and prime move behind Qatar 2022, had been arrested over the awarding of the World Cup by French anti-corruption officers as part of their long-running investigation into the successful bid from 2010.

Platini denies any wrongdoing. FYI, he was banned by FIFA in 2015 from having anything to do with football, along with Sepp Blatter, for eight years by football’s governing body’s ethics committee. The internal investigation cleared both men from corruption charged but they were found guilty of other breaches.

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Parquet National Financier, responsible for law enforcement against serious financial crime has been running for two years and this is their first real public statement. It relates in part to Platini’s many meetings with various men closely involved with the Qatari bid before the final voting took place.

Platini voted for Qatar. In 2015, the SFA backed Platini to become president of FIFA.

I am not immune to the political issues surrounding Qatar, and yet the one thing which has always stuck out for me is what a World Cup there will be like.

It’s too small, too hot, the stadiums will have roofs on them, there is nothing to see away from the games and, take this from me, it’s not an easy place to visit on a budget. Not if you want to sleep in a bed, eat and drink.

It was a terrible choice then. Nothing has changed. Football is not false but Doha is. And it’s impossible to get away from the widely held notion that this was all done with the help of brown envelopes.

There is still time for the 2022 World Cup to be moved elsewhere. That’s if Platini’s arrest is the beginning of something spectacular, as was yesterday suggested to me. This scandal is far from over.