Qatar is on my mind recently. I booked a flight last week to Africa on Qatar Airways and two days later I met a lovely family currently living in the country along the Arabian Peninsula. Being a football fan, I asked about the next World Cup. He assured me that the country is ready, the stadiums are beautiful and he is expecting the games to be successful. Personally, I’m still skeptical and think the situation is ridiculous.
Since the announcement that FIFA had awarded the 2022 games to the tiny gulf nation, there’s been nothing but controversy and confusion surrounding the games. These issues include, the exploitation of migrant workers, Qatar’s human rights violations, including its stance on homosexuality, the fact that alcohol is banned, the country has no real football history, the nation’s intense heat has led to the entire soccer/football world being forced to alter their domestic seasons in order to accommodate the tiny nation. Every previous World Cup has been held during the summer when most leagues are in their off season. Qatar 2022 is planned for the winter. Basically it was a corrupt decision on FIFA’s part which was made due to bribery.
I still think there’s a possibility that Qatar will be stripped of the games.
Last month, tensions between Iran and the US rose when a US drone strike killed an Iranian military leader. Iran retaliated and the idea of travelling to Qatar for the World Cup started to look less appealing.
In fact, the US Men’s team was planning a three week training camp in Qatar. That was cancelled after the US government issued warnings for Americans to avoid that part of the world.
As of now the games are still planned for November and December 2022 in the Middle East. I am hoping that FIFA realizes its mistake and moves the games to a more deserving and stable part of the world.
What are your thoughts on Qatar 2022?