I don't agree with the view that Qatar is not a football country and therefore should not be awarded the World Cup. No country is complete. We know which countries have been given/not given the organization and under what conditions.
Probably the officials in FIFA were pleased by Qatar and the organization was given to them. This is thought-provoking, but in other matters, no country is in a position to outdo the other.
As a football and basketball fan, I will only be interested in the on-field and will not look outside the field, because if I look outside the field, I will probably get completely disenchanted with the sport!
Nevertheless, it is an interesting topic and thank you for sharing the thoughts you bring up.
So you think that Qatar is a football country? Man you cannot be serious about that... FIFA pleased by Qatar and their organization, wow, so how about those thousands of people who died during the construction works? Is this also something to be pleased by? You really cannot see how all about this event is just so wrong?
No, Qatar is not a soccer country!
...but organizations like FIFA have the duty to spread the sport (football) to the masses. In this context, to spread it to places where it is not organized.
Other issues need to be separated from sport. Who will organize such events is determined years in advance. They don't make statements like if workers die during construction, I will take the organization away from you.
On issues like human rights, women's rights, they are more on the political side... and sport should be kept away from politics... otherwise there is no point in organizing.
For example, then organizations like UEFA FIFA can say. When xx country gets the right to participate in the organization, you are too far behind in human rights - children's rights - women's rights and I don't want you in the organization.
If that happens, all interest in sports will end. Qatar is a rich but troubled country. If it is going to be excluded just because of its problems, or because of its climate, or because it has no interest in football, or because it has never participated in the World Cup, then what is the point of spreading sport to the masses.
The issue of women's rights is one thing... the death of workers is another... the climate or backwardness in soccer is another... but spreading sports everywhere and to everyone is another thing!
Now I remember my blog here THE WORLDCUP YARNS
Hi, 2 major issues I see as worth talking about in this blog by @phortun .
First, is something your 2nd paragraph spoke about. Yup,they may be no caveat in the hosting rights books to handle accidental deaths,but do you need a caveat where human beings are dieing,not just by accidents?
These are not leaves of trees falling off,they are HUMANS. People won't be crying foul if they saw FIFA take a firm stance on the issue of these deaths, especially when it is well known that the deaths were not just mere mishaps in a proper worksite, but deaths that were occasioned by poor worksite conditions,work done under very unsafe practices/conditions. These things are no secrets,they are verifiable facts, if you check. So fellow human beings like you and I were employed on a suicide mission more or less.
Second is how, Qatar got it. If they won it fairly,I won't bother about the other things...I call them politics just like you.
But they got this hosting right via corruption. Corruption is untenable whether it is the unpopular Qatar that engages in it or it is the popular England. The partner in corruption–FIFA– has to be chided for doing this harm to football and the world. "When the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do?"– a statement from the Holy Bible, would mean here that once the hosting right was gotten by corruption, it's no surprise FIFA could not call them out when their worksites where more or less death traps, when there worksites didn't meet best-practices in the Building Profession.
I end with an excerpt from my blog mentioned above:
"It is such a messy affair really that seeks to promote the lust for money over and above sound character virtues football ought to be upholding, especially when it has to do with the biggest competition in football– the World Cup"
I understand and sympathize with your reservations about human deaths, and I don't want my lack of support for the boycott to be perceived as disrespect or disregard for their right to life. I apologize if this is my fault.
But when people lose their lives for various reasons during the transportation of a product, those who buy that product do not say "you were careless in the transportation of this product, people died...I am not buying your product".
Or we know how gold mined from gold mines causes environmental disasters and endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, killing them over time... but we don't stop buying gold.
Or there are many people working in coal mines under unfavorable conditions and their lives are constantly threatened... but no one says we don't buy coal because of the difficulties in their working conditions... These are unfortunately double standards of people and institutions.
You're right, Qatar probably got the hosting rights through corruption but that's not enough reason for me to protest against the football on the pitch! Every year we watch matches that stink of match fixing, some of them are proven and the people involved are punished but not all of them are proven... we are aware of the betting games but we don't lose interest in football.
I think we should look at what we have done as football fans before criticizing FIFA and UEFA.
For example, the Italian Super Cup, the French Cup Final, the Spanish Cup Final have been played in Qatar many times just for money. Once the final of my own country was also played in Qatar. It is no longer a secret that money and betting have taken over football! Some clubs in Europe are being sold to Arab sheiks, which country is taking measures to prevent this? I apologize if there is information that I don't know and have missed, but until it comes to FIFA and UEFA, there are more country federations to blame and those in authority who do not take measures.
I will watch the matches as a simple football fan, away from boycotts and similar protests!
Thank you for your contribution. I read both the post you mentioned here and your comment and all I can say is that I´m in 100% agreement with your stance.
I understand your opinion, I respect your opinion but I don´t share this opinion. I still thank you for your contribution to the debate though ;)
Thank you for the opportunity. It was a very enjoyable conversation.
Some questions about it, if FIFA and UEFA are keeping sport and politics appart, then why all Russian football teems are banned from every competition? What does it mean? sport and politics are to be kept appart but just not too much? Or is that the rules apply just when they see fit? Or than the Qatary human rights violations are less important than Russian ones?
First of all, I must say that I am anti-war and anti-occupation for whatever reason... but I agree with you on this point. In the past years, FIFA and UEFA have shown with their own practices that politics should be kept away from sports.
FIFA and UEFA have given warnings and bans to some countries on issues such as federation elections and league status where politics interfered. While doing this, they also argued that politics should stay away from sports. I also think politics should stay away from sports and no club should lose its rights because of war.
Especially FIFA should not go in parallel with the American and European view. It should be impartial and at an equal distance to all national teams!
Well, I must say I agree with you 100% in this comment, but just to continue the topic. When you see that the organization not follow its own rules consistently, then definitely it is something going on, cuz anything happens just because, there is a reason behind and it should be looked into. On the other hand, althoung the sports free of politics, discrimation, open access and all that look very well on screen and paper, the absolute truth is that money and politics can't be separated. And if there is something we can all agree on, is that football moves a lot of money. So if there is a communicational and political mainstreem FIFA and UEFA will alingn themselves with it just to protect profit (this is to say the least). So my point is that, in spite to the public declarations and the fact that it is morally correct, to think that football authorities are keeping sport and politics appart it's rather naive. And not just football, but it is best if I stop here. Nice to chat with you.
You should watch the new Netflix documentary series "FIFA Uncovered". Extremely disturbing but probably also eye-opening for some... FIFA has been a criminal organization for decades.
thaks for the tip. ;-)