QATAR WORLD CUP ROW RUMBLES ON
The row over the 2022 World Cup to
Qatar Award has intensified with the
announcement by FIFA that the World
Cup can only take place in
November/December of 2022, due to
the hot conditions in the country.
Although the Qataris appear to have
shifted goal posts after bidding to host
a Summer World Cup, FIFA are the
ones to blame.
FIFA should have told them unless it
takes place in the summer the bid was
a non-starter . However, FIFA was
never likely to do that especially with
the amount of money that can
be realized from the oil rich country. There
were arguments that a country like Qatar is not
a footballing nation and that they have never
qualified for the World Cup.
Not long ago we had Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates in the World Cup. So
how can it be said that the region is not known
for football?
Qataris have invested in European clubs and it
was only a matter of time before they would
want something in return. European leagues
are up in arms saying that the decision to hold
a Christmas World Cup would disrupt their
domestic leagues. But haven’t the 7 years to
plan for it?
them. Some of these players may never get
another chance to feature in the greatest
football tournament on earth.
I remember 1976 when Nigeria assembled its
best athletes for the Olympics, only to miss a
golden opportunity as their government
boycotted the Montreal games in protest over
the apartheid regime in South Africa. Some of
those athletes never got another chance to go
to the Olympics.
Slave labor and death threats at the World Cup
sites are detestable, especially when the
families of some of the victims have not been
compensated. I do wish the Qataris would
address such an important issue.
Surely they can adjust their schedules now!
Whatever people might think of Sepp Blatter,
FIFA is for the good of the game and that
includes taking the World Cup to every corner
of the world. The last time I checked Europe
was not solely in charge of FIFA.
As for the notion that some countries might
decide to boycott the World Cup, good luck to
Living in the UK, I like Christmas football
fixtures but things change. Maybe it is time for
those in the European leagues to come out of
their comfort zone and try something different.
You never know, it might be the best
opportunity for a country like England to win
the World Cup after all the players would not
be exhausted mid season!