When 2022 comes around, the summer will yet again be the highlight of the year. The World Cup returns and the world will unite in Qatar. The decision to host the tournament in Qatar is one of the most controversial decisions Fifa have made. Opinions are divided on whether this decision is suitable enough to meet standards of the World Cup, and I’m sure opinions will continue to be divided on this debatable issue.
There are many reasons against the decision for Qatar to host the World Cup, and I thoroughly agree with most of them. One of the most outstanding reasons is due to the climate of the country. Temperatures are too high for players to play competitively in, and could reach up to 50 degrees Celsius. Playing in such heat has since been recognised by Fifa as a health risk. So why does the decision still stand? Surely the safety of the players who make the World Cup so special is more important than Fifa pulling out on Qatar. The players cannot possibly survive the full ninety minutes in such a high level game and perform to their best abilities when they’re struggling due to excessive amount of heat. The atmosphere of the World Cup is also one of the tournaments key features. For many, the extreme temperatures may be to much and fans will struggle to up keep up the traditions of a vibrant atmosphere during the tournament in these conditions. This raises the question, ‘How did Qatar even get the nod to host the decision in the first place?’
Furthermore, the announcement to let Qatar be the hosting country has been heavily criticised due to the fact that they’re are strong rumours of Qatar officials bribing Fifa. Qatar strangely beat four countries to the role of hosting nation, one of them being the USA. The USA are far more developed in terms of sport, and for Qatar to beat them in the vote is controversial. There have been many indications that Qatar have bought the votes and there are continuing protests for the elections to be held again, without Qatar. There have been many ongoing stories about corrupt Fifa officials, some of whom have left there posts and some still being investigated. This is the Football Federation under investigation for what should be a democratic vote and as stated, there have been many headlines showing that Qatar did in fact influence the decisions of Fifa officials when the voting stage began. When Qatar was pulled out the envelope, Fifa must have known conspiracy problems will be voiced from all corners of the globe.
In addition to this, Qatar hold harsh views on discriminating homosexuals. The World Cup should be for everyone, and for innocent people to be held against who they are is unacceptable. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar which in itself should reason enough for taking away the privileges Qatar has been given. Discrimination has no place in society, never mind football. Football is meant to reach out to whoever you are, but Qatar are restricting this from some people. ‘Everything is for everyone’ said the head of the homosexuality comity, and obviously Qatar has views which clash with this. Should they really have the privilege of hosting with such views?
The issue of human rights is also another point of concern. Qatar proposed that they will build all the stadiums from scratch along with improving surrounding infrastructure and buildings. This a big statement and one that Qatar plans on keeping to. In order to meet these targets, a large workforce will be required as many construction projects are taking place. Of this workforce it has been identified that they are using slave labour from neighbouring countries. They are being brought into Qatar and forced to work. This is going against Human Rights laws, and in some cases people are losing their lives due to unsafe working environments, breaching even further laws. These are acts which are punishable by law, yet they are being over looked. Qatar should not have such audacity.
In addition, Fifa have decided that as the climate is above what footballers are capable of playing in and are therefore toying with the idea of a winter World Cup. Fifa have finally seen there glaring error and are doing everything within their power to keep the tournament in Qatar. This is an awful idea, it doesn’t just ruin the tradition of playing in the summer but it clashes with most domestic leagues around the globe. Domestic football is just as important and enjoyable as the World Cup, and playing the World Cup in the winter will ruin the 2022 domestic league season and popularity amongst Fifa.
To conclude, I feel that Sepp Blatter and his officials are corrupt. This decision should not be carried out. There are many countries who are a more credible option, so Fifa should just accept this noticeable mistake. It’s the fans and players needs which need addressing, not their bank account status.
React!