The Abbott government will consider legal action to recoup more than $40 million wasted on Australia's futile bid to host the 2022 football World Cup, won by oil-rich Qatar on the back of alleged systematic bribery.

Minister for Sport Peter Dutton said the government would ''consider options'' to claw back the money after reports that Qatari officials showered cash on football officials across the globe to secure the hosting rights in a landslide. Australia pulled just one vote.

Minister for Sport Peter Dutton has said the government will consider its position.

Australian Football Federation chairman Frank Lowy has demanded FIFA return the money, while former Soccer Australia boss David Hill has said the Rudd government was ''mad'' to risk public funds ''when everybody knew the process was crook".

Qatar's apparent foul play has become a topic of concern in Canberra, with the head of the Health Department - which now oversees the Sport portfolio - agreeing that the process was ''crooked''.