Former Qatar World Cup media manager Abdullah Ibhais has torn open the playbook of one of the most audacious propaganda operations in modern history. Speaking at the Play the Game 2025 conference in Aarhus, Denmark, Ibhais (a man who paid dearly for daring to speak truth to power) detailed how Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy orchestrated a global surveillance and manipulation machine to whitewash the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It was not just about hosting the world's biggest sporting event. It was a meticulously engineered $300 billion campaign (that is right, $300 billion) to rebrand a nation accused of rampant human rights abuses, migrant worker exploitation, and terror financing into a beacon of progressive glamour.
And the tools? Deflect. Discredit. Deny. Three words that became the unholy trinity of Qatar's media war room.The Spy Network: Profiling Journalists Like Criminals
Ibhais, who served as the committee's Arabic-language media manager until his conscience clashed with the regime's script, revealed a chilling surveillance apparatus aimed squarely at the fourth estate. Qatar's handlers did not just monitor coverage. They profiled journalists worldwide, scouring social media feeds, articles, and public statements to slap labels: "friendly" or "problematic."
These dossiers were not filed away in some dusty cabinet. They were shared with Qatari government agencies, embassies, and even friendly football federations to shape (or sabotage) narratives...
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