The report says Ibhais, a Jordanian national, was due to give voluntary evidence in the United States after being subpoenaed by a court in Colorado. It also says his family believe the detention came shortly after he received a US visa in Amman on 6 August.
That matters because the timing appears central to the case.
In isolation, each delay might be explained away. Taken together, they raise fresh concern over whether key witnesses can participate without pressure.
For football authorities, the uncomfortable truth is that Qatar 2022 never stopped being a human-rights story. The tournament was staged successfully. The argument over worker welfare, accountability and transparency did not disappear with the final whistle.
The report says Ibhais spent three years in prison in Doha after a 2021 conviction and was released on 11 March 2025 after a reduced five-year sentence. Rights groups have previously questioned the fairness of his case. That is why any reported interference around his testimony would land heavily: it would feed the view that football’s governance still struggles when legal and moral scrutiny extends beyond the event itself.
The next development to watch is simple: whether the 20 August deposition goes ahead, is delayed, or collapses entirely. If it does not proceed, pressure is likely to grow for clearer answers from the authorities involved - and for football’s powerbrokers to confront a World Cup legacy that remains unsettled.