Qatar World Cup: Investigation into bidding delayed until September

Qatar was awarded the 2022 Fifa World Cup in December 2010

Fifa's investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process has been delayed until September.

Lawyer Michael Garcia, who is leading the investigation, had been due to submit his findings in July.

But Fifa's ethics committee say they now expect the report to be delivered to ethics judge Joachim Eckert by the "first week of September 2014".

The Qatar 2022 bid committee is facing allegations of corruption, but has denied any wrongdoing.

The Sunday Times alleged in June that Qatar's former Fifa vice-president, Mohamed bin Hammam, paid £3m to football officials around the world in return for support of the Qatari bid.

Qatar overcame competition from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to be named as 2022 hosts.

Garcia is leading a long-running investigation into the bidding process for both the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 tournament.

The results of the bids were announced in December 2010, with Russia winning the vote to stage the 2018 event.

Former attorney general Lord Goldsmith, a member of Fifa's independent committee on governance, Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke have all said said there should be a re-run of the 2022 vote if allegations of wrongdoing prove correct.