Allow me to preface this piece by saying that I never wanted to write it. Nor do I want to write an apologia for FIFA or the tournament itself- which has its shortcoming and is entitled to receive a fair amount of criticism. I think this tweet really does sum it up quite well:
Let me first make a couple of things clear lest I be accused of being a water carrier for the Qatar bid:
- If I had a vote back in 2010- I would have voted for the Iberian bid for the 2018 World Cup and the US bid for the 2022 World Cup. Alas, I am not a member of the FIFA Executive Committee nor do I have any pull with the Palestine FA and FIFA does not even ask me who I think should be awarded the Balon D’Or. So here we are.
- The workers who built the stadiums should be compensated fairly and all stakeholders- FIFA, the sponsors, the Supreme Committee should do their bit to make sure that happens.
- Nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Will Coverage of the next World Cups mirror that of Qatar 2022?
Let’s get one thing straight. Russia and Qatar were awarded World Cups in large part because FIFA wanted to be able to squeeze cash out of growing economies whose governments were willing to commit billions of dollars to build swanky new stadiums. FIFA followed the money- and in the case of some ExCo members they did so quite literally.
While the international media did publish a handful of pieces on Russia being not an ideal place for the World Cup those issues melted away as soon as the tournament started. The Guardian and several other publications now have special sections to cover extraneous issues with the host country. Russia was not put under such a microscope and this was despite the fact that:
- A “Gay Propaganda” Law was signed into law by Vladimir Putin after it passed the Duma in 2013.
- Russia illegally invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014.
- A war of attrition in Ukraine’s east was being financed by Russia
- Russian forces interceding on behalf of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and barrel bombing areas full of civilians
- North Korean slave labour being used to build Russian World Cup stadiums.
I do not know why those issues were forgotten about for one month in the Summer of 2018 and why the media did, in fact, focus on the football- to borrow a phrase from Gianni Infantino.
Perhaps Western media feels guilty about this in light of the Ukraine War. I suppose that is fine but let us not forget that the next World Cup is due to be hosted by a triumvirate of countries with their own issues. The USA will host the lion’s share of the game and they won the bid in spite of:
- Executive orders cancelling valid visas based on people’s nationality/ethnic origin.
- Flagrant violation of international law in relation to asylum seekers committed by Mexico and the United States.
- Canada not having a professional football league.
You can also add police violence, America’s ill advised dalliances (to put it lightly) abroad, and horrible public transportation to that list.
Will these issues and how they relate to the World Cup be given special and consistent coverage in the sports sections of the most read newspapers? Has anyone stopped to ask what will happen if Trump- or a similar politician- wins the White House? Will the US government really hand out visas to anyone with a ticket to attend a World Cup match? How will the players and fans survive the brutal summer heat in the outdoor venues of Kansas City, Monterrey, and Santa Clara? What about the humidity in Miami and across the eastern seaboard?
Or will journalists simply just accept that the World Cup is being hosted in a “normal country”?
UEFA and Europe are not symbols of virtue
I enjoyed watching the Netflix series FIFA Uncovered this past week but certain elements of the documentary bothered me. Yes there was bribery involved in the awarding of the World Cup in 2010 and the US Department of Justice investigation revealed that several members of the Executive Committee accepted bribes in exchange for votes for the Russia and Qatar World Cups. The documentary mentioned that South Africa bribed Jack Warner in order to secure his votes.
What did the documentary fail to mention? That Germany secured the 2006 World Cup through bribes as well (Brazil 2014 and Japan/Korea 2002 did not undergo a bidding process). Charges were levied against Franz Beckenbauer, two former DFB Presidents, and the General Secretary of FIFA. That case was dragged out until the statue of limitations ran out and no trial was ever conducted. How convenient.
Throughout the documentary, UEFA is presented as the voice of reason. This is despite the fact that Michel Platini (President of UEFA at the time) voted for the Qatar bid only because President Nicolas Sarkozy was promised that PSG and Ligue 1 rights would be brought by the Qatari government.
Michel D’Hooghe- a Belgian FIFA ExCo member- feigned outrage at Qatar being awarded the bid but was never asked how his son came to be hired by Qatar’s Aspire Academy.
Gianni Infantino was not quizzed about living in Qatar nor was he asked about his appearance in the Panama Papers as a result of devaluing South American TV rights to UEFA competitions whilst serving as General Secretary of UEFA.
UEFA is an organization that gave Euro 2020 hosting rights to Baku and St. Petersburg in spite of the wars Azerbaijan and Russia waged on Armenia and Ukraine, respectively. Less than a decade earlier, Israel- the state famous for the world’s longest military occupation- was awarded hosting rights to UEFA’s 2013 U-21 tournament.
A boycott only serves the established powers
I have come across many saying they are not excited for this World Cup. The timing of the event does not help as league seasons have been interrupted and the event is now in direct competition with several other sports. This is usually a summer bonanza in the northern hemisphere and the three week buildup helps generate excitement for the event.
That said it is quite strange to see fans boycotting on moral grounds given some of the issues I mentioned above. It is even weirder when said person might have vacationed in Dubai or Tel Aviv. There is also no evidence that the boycott would be effective. FIFA has sold over 3 million tickets and Qatar 2022 could be the best attended tournament in its history.
Forget about the tournament being hosted in Qatar. There is a problem with corruption in football and the established powers do not care. UEFA and the individual European Football Associations that make up its membership don’t care about you not watching the World Cup because it is not a moneymaker for them. Has anyone tried to boycott the Champions League?
After all, PSG’s President Nasser El-Khelaifi is the President of the European Clubs Association. Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia have played a big role in European Football either through shirt sponsorships or outright ownership of some of the biggest clubs on the old continent. Up until a few months ago, Russia’s state gas company Gazprom was lighting up the football as a title sponsor of the UEFA Champions League.
Europe’s clubs also lead the way in damaging the game and society’s vulnerable allowing gambling companies and NFT issuers to use the sport as a platform to swindle people.
If you want to boycott the World Cup. That’s fine but the nefarious actors will be waiting for you come February and the resumption of the Champions League or when you tune into the Premier League. Those leagues are so big they won’t even bat an eyelid if you stop coming to the stadium. A three decade investment in football colonialism means they can fly tourists in from America, Asia, and the Middle East to take your place. They have already brainwashed many fans in those countries into thinking that their local league and national team is “shit” and that UEFA is the be all and end all of football competitions. Even the prestigious Copa Libertadores can’t get a foot in and the outstanding clubs of Argentina and Brazil compete in what is now branded as “farmers leagues” by the Premier League/UEFA loving Twitterazzi.
Do you think that anyone in UEFA really cares about the fact that the 2006 Trinidad and Tobago Football team received an $800 bonus for qualifying for the World Cup? Or that Palestine’s national team players received NOTHING for qualifying for the Asian Cup despite the PFA receiving $1.5 million?
The fact of the matter is that this corruption serves to eliminate to competition to their premium product. Corruption and scandal also exist in European FAs as well- just look at Noel Le Präet.
I’ll watch the entire tournament
I am looking forward to the World Cup because it is, for all its faults, football in its purest form. You cannot buy success at national team level, the players cannot be transferred, and success- particularly for the smaller countries- creates indelible memories that inspire future generations.
I will watch and analyze and try and determine how far Palestine has to go to reach that level. I won’t be blind to the tournament’s shortcomings because the corruption that resulted in Qatar winning the bid directly impacted my country’s chances of qualifying and those issues won’t go away when Qatar 2022 is concluded.
