Qatar has a local population of less than 3 million people, no football tradition, and temperatures in the 30°C at its lowest. Especially considering the other countries that had bid to host the event, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States. With its large market and slow penetration of the sport, the US offered significant growth potential and has virtually all the infrastructure already built. It should have been the winning candidate. Of course, everyone knows that the reason for that non-selection is FIFA. After all, this is an organisation marred in so many scandals it is hard to keep track of them. Instead, let’s just refresh our memories of the current ones. Besides all the accusations of bribes for the world cups and the continental tournaments, the attribution to Qatar and the growing links between FIFA and the Emirate, like Its president Gianni Infantino moving his residence and family to Doha, fuel every day more questions. Gianni Infantino is still under penal investigation in Switzerland for his undisclosed meetings with Michael Lauber, at the time Swiss Attorney General. Lauber eventually resigned in what is probably the only true scandal of Swiss federal politics. Now that those basics are out of the way, should you watch the world cup in Qatar?
Yes, let’s enjoy football and not be hypocrites in our boycott
Boycotting the world cup is like buying a car only to refusing to drive it. The real boycott should have occurred 12 years ago when it was attributed. Now the roads are paved, the stadiums built, and the teams are already there. Also, in 2018 the world cup took place in Russia with no one boycotting it. Even though it was four years after the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Donbas. As recently as this February, the winter Olympics took place in Beijing, despite the situation in Xinjiang and the fact that Beijing is not a prime location for winter sports. So, what is so different this time? Moreover, this is selective outrage. Europe is pleased to get liquified gas from Qatar to compensate for the end of Russian supply. The military presence of western powers the region is also possible thanks to Qatar’s cooperation. Every year thousands of our compatriots travel to the Persian Gulf for their vacations or use their beloved airline, Qatar airways. Western companies and universities are very content to find new markets. The city of Paris announced it would not create fan zones for the world cup not to support the Emirate. Nonetheless, like many European cities, it is delighted to receive Qatari investments in luxury real estate and football with PSG.
Moreover, you don’t have to go there to enjoy the world cup. Most fans watch the game in their home country. FIFA might not be, but the world cup is a unifying moment for the world at large. The athletes that will compete did not vote for Qatar, nor do they approve of the situation. They are the real stars of the tournament and no one else. If sport is to remain attached to its ideals, it must win over political considerations. So, let’s enjoy football in the comfort of your home while also denouncing FIFA and Qatar if that’s what you want. Moreover, the more publicised the event is, the more it will shine a light on the situation there. In Russia, the world cup had brought a diverse and festive crowd, showing the world images of young Russians open to the world. If the Kremlin did not follow this opening two years later, the event remained nonetheless positive for social change. It might very well do the same in Qatar, even more, as the local population is used to travelling extensively.
No, let’s not be complicit
This world cup is the epitome of the worst of neoliberalism. A world cup purchased by petrodollars in a country that considers some of my friends degenerate for their sexual orientations and whose links with terrorist groups remains blurry, all for the sake of impressing the world. For an event hosted in climatised stadiums, built on the back of the Kafala system (essentially modern-day slavery), that will never be used again after the world cup. Due to a lack of accommodation capacities, hundreds of flights are expected to arrive and depart from the country every day. Those flights will bring the fans to their hotels in the neighbouring countries. This is all happening in 2022, when tackling climate change is humanity’s most considerable challenge. Watching the world cup is a tacit approval of this state of affairs.
Moreover, a world cup is a general mood. Fan zones are flooded with beers, the sun shines, and everybody relaxes. This is football at its best. However, this year’s picture is very different; the event is virtually invisible except for news coverage about Qatar’s human rights record. Without all the excitement that precedes a world cup and all the silly speculative conversations we have over the direction the tournament will take, this will not be the same. An overarching clout over this event makes it impossible to enjoy it truly. Hosting the tournament during winter is an admission of failure, making the least bad of an improper decision for the players and fans. The players will have to play in excruciating heat, probably at a less intense level of action than usual and have less time to rest after the tournament since national or continental leagues will continue soon after. For the fans in the northern hemisphere, it also means they cannot use their summer vacations to make the most of the event. Overall, the mood is not there.
Bottom-line
Let’s be brutally honest now. We can talk all day about how the event could potentially change Qatar, whether we are selective virtue-signalling hypocrites in our boycotts or the current mood. Still, a world cup can awaken unknown emotions in all of us. Just remember a year and a half ago when Switzerland beat France at the Euro. If the team you support does well, it is very likely that you will watch the games and be taken away by the football fever. So, let’s at least hope that the best team wins and that this whole mess will serve as a cautionary tale of exactly not to do. An event with such ballooning costs, financially, environmentally and humanly, must never happen again. The recent win of Saudi Arabia in hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games contradicts that, but the Olympics appear to go to a less grand event. With the selection of Paris and Los Angeles for the following summer editions and Northern Italy for the winter. We can also look forward to the 2026 world cup, organised jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada.