Controversies surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2022
For several years now, the tournament in Qatar has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
After four long years, the footballing world will host another World Cup this year. The World Cup is the pinnacle of international football and one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The largest football tournament this time around has drawn attention and criticism, though. Since Qatar secured the right to host the tournament in 2010, there have been disputes around it.
However, Qatar has made every effort to make this event a success. They have quickly modernized the entire nation and erected some amazing stadiums. In the interim, they have come under intense criticism for allegedly abusing human rights. Let's go through each reason why this FIFA World Cup is the most contentious ever one at a time.
Check out All facilities that will be given in the FIFA World Cup 2022
Suspicions of corruption in the selecting process for hosts
The selection of hosts for the FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022 got underway before the 2010 tournament. Following a mutual agreement amongst nations, all non-UEFA countries withdrew their bids for the 2018 World Cup. Since no UEFA countries submitted bids to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the competition was between Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United States.
As a result of Qatar's decisive win in the 2010 bid, FIFA was subject to serious suspicions of bribery. Whistleblower Phaedra Almajid alleged that $1.5 million in bribes were paid to African officials to cast their votes for Qatar. Despite the denials of all officials, he was vindicated in 2014 by several further allegations.
Jack Warner, who served as the vice-president of FIFA during the bidding process, earned a $2 million profit from a business connected to Qatar's World Cup bid in 2014. Large media outlets occasionally posed some more serious queries.
Insights from The Sunday Times and Sting operation
The Sunday Times, a UK-based news organization, has made many exposes on a range of subjects that have given rise to grave accusations. In 2015, it was revealed that Bin Hammam, the AFC president at the time, had paid a former CIA agent to spy on FIFA officials while also bribing FIFA officials with $5 million. Furthermore, they disclosed that one month before the start of the hosting rights bidding process, Qatar's Al-Jazeera news network made a covert deal with FIFA.
Al-Jazeera will pay $400 million for the rights to broadcast the 2022 World Cup, according to the pact. Only if Qatar hosts the competition will $100 million of this be paid. In addition, as part of the hosting arrangement, Al Jazeera promised FIFA $480 million from the government of Qatar.
Qatar's credentials are in doubt
The entire football community responded in a lackluster manner as soon as Qatar was revealed as the host nation. When Qatar secured the hosting rights, they were ranked 113 and had never won a continental competition. A country that has never made it to the World Cup would be hosting it for the first time.
The playing environment is also unfavorable in Qatar. Footballers will struggle to cope with the heat in the Middle East because it is one of the most humid places on earth. The competition will take place in November when temperatures will be noticeably higher on average. The regular club football season in Europe will also be impacted by the WC.
Human rights abuse
The most significant and delicate controversy surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar's alleged clear abuse of workers' rights. According to rumors and several eyewitnesses, the Qatari authorities used the "Kafala System" to enslave employees to build the huge event's infrastructure.
These accusations have been refuted by the Qatari government. Worker exploitation and confinement without communication with the outside world have been the subject of some investigations by media outlets and NGOs. Additionally, the problem was discussed by the Nepalese ambassador in Qatar, who called it an "Open Jail" for workers.
Players' opinions and the boycott movement
Football supporters, retired players, and active players have all voiced their strong feelings about the continued breaches of human rights in Qatar. Teams from the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway expressed their protest of Qatar's terrible treatment of workers by wearing human rights t-shirts during World Cup qualifiers.
Former players like Philipp Lahm have openly criticized the government in interviews. Lahm recently stated, "Human rights should be given priority when deciding who wins a tournament. You start to question the selection procedures if a contract is given to one of the nations with the weakest performance in this area. Future events shouldn't repeat that. None of these factors, including human rights, sustainability, and country size, appear to have been significant."
The tournament will probably proceed as scheduled, but the concerns surrounding it will be talked about for a long time. The possibility that they may watch many outstanding players, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and other players, in a major international competition has fans enthusiastic about the tournament. But it's also important to consider the tournament's negative aspects.
