Qatari World Cup vote-buying unproven, says Dutchman Gullit

Former soccer star Ruud Gullit has accused England of being bad losers after a British newspaper alleged Qatar paid US$5 million to buy votes for its successful 2022 World Cup bid.

Dutchman Gullit, who is employed by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network, said The Sunday Times had failed to prove financial impropriety between Qatari soccer chiefs and the game's world governing body, Fifa.

"People are assuming a lot of things," said Gullit, 51.

The votes to decide who would host the 2022 and 2018 World Cups were held at the same time in December 2010, with Qatar and Russia the respective winners and England losing its bid for the 2018 tournament.

There was nothing humble about England's defeat, added the former AC Milan player and Chelsea manager, who had been an ambassador for the Belgium-Netherlands 2018 bid.

"The funny thing is, especially, the English are pissed off about everything. They are very bitter [and] shoot themselves in the foot all the time," said Gullit, who was in Hong Kong to promote late-night World Cup soccer screenings at Sun Hung Kai Properties' APM mall in Kwun Tong.