Soccer is characterized by its unmatched ability to bring entire nations together in search of a common goal: the World Cup.
The World Cup is one of the largest and most exciting sporting events on the planet. The passion and ruthless expectations set for each national squad give the competition a compelling edge.
With all of the positives surrounding soccer’s biggest tournament, there is an underlying sense of corruption and controversy. Soccer fans from all over can look no further than the very organization in charge of the World Cup.
From giving the World Cup to countries like Brazil with poor infrastructure to allowing bribery within its own organization, FIFA has become the figurehead of what is wrong with the World Cup.
As an American, obviously I was disappointed in FIFA’s choice of Qatar over the USA to host the 2022 World Cup, but I lived with the decision and moved on. Recently, both the leaders of Qatar and FIFA have taken away my ability to turn the other cheek in regard to the overwhelming corruption surrounding the event.
First, Qatar promises fans a viewing experience it can not deliver. Summer, the usual calendar spot for the World Cup, provides Qatar with temperatures that can exceed 120 degrees. Many soccer fans raised questions about the safety of the players and fans in this type of heat. Qatar’s leaders promised state-of-the-art stadiums equipped with cooling systems that would make this worry irrelevant.
Unfortunately, that technology cannot be manufactured on a scale that large. Upon realizing this, Qatar’s leaders pushed the idea of moving the World Cup to the winter, which would completely wreck the club soccer schedule.
FIFA selected Qatar knowing these problems would arise. Qatar has no significant club league; the stadiums they are building would not be used after the event. Money would be wasted on an event that lasts two months.
Not only does FIFA pick hosts in which controversy will arise, they completely disregard their responsibilities in the World Cup. It was recently revealed that over 150 Nepali servants have already died in Qatar working on the stadiums for the World Cup. FIFA President Sepp Blatter even denied responsibility for these deaths.
FIFA should pick countries that are prepared to host such a large event. They should stop seeking corruption and controversy and allow fans to focus on the passion and technicality with which the beautiful game is played.
