Qatar World Cup bid organizers say have 'nothing to hide'

SAO PAULO, June 14 (Reuters) - Organizers of Qatar's successful 2022 World Cup bid said on Saturday that allegations the bidding process had been compromised by bribery were "baseless and riddled with innuendo designed to tarnish the reputation" of the process. It was the most comprehensive statement from Qatar since media reports, notably in Britain's Sunday Times, appeared in recent weeks alleging links between a top Qatari soccer official and payments to FIFA representatives involved in choosing who hosted the competition. "We have nothing to hide," Qatar 2022 said in the statement. "...In every aspect of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process, we strictly adhered to FIFA's rules and regulations." (Reporting by Mike Collett-White)