Qatar defended its successful 2022 World Cup bid on Friday following corruption scandals in football's governing body FIFA and said it would carry on with plans to stage the event. Qatar's World Cup organising committee said in a statement Qatar had conducted its 2022 bid with integrity and to the highest ethical standards, but it would comply with further investigations into the award if asked. "We wish to reiterate that we have fully complied with every investigation that has been initiated concerning the 2018/22 bidding process and will continue to do so, should this be requested," it said. It added: "Our aim through hosting the FIFA World Cup is to utilise the positive power of sport to unify people and demonstrate the passion for football in our region to a global audience. "We share FIFA's vision that football has a unique power to unite. "We believe that an event of this magnitude can and should serve as a platform for accelerating positive change and our belief in these principals remains steadfast."It is the first official statement made by Qatar since the dawn arrests some 48 hours earlier of seven FIFA officials in their Zurich hotel, prompting the most serious crisis faced by football's governing body. Those arrested officials now face extradition to the United States where they are accused of allegedly accepting bribes worth tens of millions of dollars. Following the arrests, Swiss investigators separately announced they are looking into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Qatar's successful bid was originally to host the tournament in the months of June and July but a FIFA decision earlier this year decided on an unprecedented switch to play the tournament in the months of November and December 2022 because of the extreme summer temperatures in the Gulf. Qatar's statement was released at almost the same time the FIFA congress to elect a new president got under way on Friday in Zurich. In 2010, Russia was chosen to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament.Speaking at the FIFA congress FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Friday, "If two other countries had emerged from the envelope, I think we would not have these problems today." "But we can't go back in time. We are not prophets. We can't say what would have happened," he added. The United States was one of the losing bidders for the 2022 World Cup. On Wednesday, U.S. authorities indicted 14 people on bribery, racketeering, fraud and money-laundering charges going back to the 1990s. "I am not going to use the word coincidence but I do have a small question mark," Blatter said about the timing of the raid.When the congress broke for a lunch a few hours later, a bomb threat was made at the venue hosting the meetings, according to Swiss police. Blatter also cautioned that "It will take some time" to rebuild FIFA's reputation. "The events of Wednesday have unleashed a storm and there was even questioned whether this congress would be organized or change the agenda," Blatter said. "Today I am appealing to unity and team spirit so we can move forward together. That may not always be easy but it is for this reason that we are here together today." Russian President Vladimir Putin has also accused the United States of meddling in an effort to prevent Blatter's re-election.