As many as 1,200 migrant workers may have died in Qatar since it was awarded the cup and another 4,000 are likely to die before the event starts, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said in a report early in 2014.  "Everyone wheels and deals and buys [in the bidding process]," Dorsey added. "If you single out Qatar -- and Qatar is an easy target because it handled its PR abhorrently -- you're also scapegoating them unless you revamp the whole system."  Questions have also swirled around Russia's selection to host the 2018 World Cup.  The arrests Wednesday involve corruption allegations not just over the World Cup hosting rights but also broadcasting rights. Allegations that some members of the executive committee sought bribes in exchange for votes on hosting rights emerged after an investigation by The Sunday Times caught two members on tape.  Read MoreTop FIFA officials to be charged with corruption  In a statement, released on Wednesday morning, the Swiss Attorney General (OAG) announced that it was opening criminal proceedings against unspecified people on suspicion of "criminal mismanagement and money laundering" in connection with the host allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups.  "The OAG and the Swiss Federal Criminal Police will be questioning 10 persons who took part in voting on the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as members of the Executive Committee in 2010," it said.  It added that it had seized electronic data and documents at FIFA's head office in Zurich.  FIFA Spokesperson Walter de Gregorio said on Wednesday that both the Russian and Qatari World Cups were still scheduled to go ahead, despite the investigation and there were no plans for a re-vote.
After the arrest of six FIFA officials on corruption charges, Qatar's controversial win of 2022 World Cup hosting rights is looking uncertain.