Off-field discussion points from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well, this is awkward...</p>— Budweiser (@Budweiser) <a href="https://twitter.com/Budweiser/status/1593555466856054784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Alcohol will not be sold at the World Cup's eight stadiums in Qatar after Fifa changed its policy two days before the start of the tournament.

Alcohol was set to be served "in select areas within stadiums", despite its sale being strictly controlled in the Muslim country.

Those in corporate areas of stadiums at the tournament will still be able to purchase alcohol.

The World Cup starts on Sunday when Qatar play Ecuador.

Budweiser, a major sponsor of Fifa, is owned by beer maker AB InBev and had exclusive rights to sell beer at the World Cup.

"Following discussions between host country authorities and Fifa, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the Fifa fan festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar's Fifa World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters," said a statement from world football's governing body.

"There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero which will remain available at all Qatar's World Cup stadiums.

"Host country authorities and Fifa will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans.

"The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022."

Budweiser posted a message on Twitter on Friday saying, "Well, this is awkward" before the post was later deleted.

An AB InBev spokesperson said that they could not proceed with "some of the planned stadium activations" because of "circumstances beyond our control".

The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) criticised the timing of the decision to ban the sale of beer for most fans.

"Some fans like a beer at a game and some don't, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem - the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters," said an FSA spokesperson.

"If they can change their minds on this at a moment's notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues."

In August, Fifa changed the start date of the World Cup so that the first game of the competition would be Qatar facing Ecuador.

The game was scheduled to be played on 21 November as the third game, with Senegal against the Netherlands set to be the opening match earlier that day.

BBC

 

[Technics 1210]

English fans need a kick up their backsides.

In England, it is not permitted to consume alcohol within the football stadium.

But no, any excuse to make a song and dance of Qatari Football policies!

 

[SalimBhai]

Keeping english away from alcohol at sporting events should be standard practice. English soccer fans are one of the worst people

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Well done to Qatar. A Muslim country with some courage finally.

 

[The_KING]

I have been to Qatar once as a kid.. I enjoyed my time there. And I am glad that there are sticking to their morals and values, instead of giving into the demands of the western countries.

And English fans are known as hooligans who go abroad, get drunk and cause public disorder. So it’s for the best that English football fans are kept away from alcohol.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I have been to Qatar once as a kid.. I enjoyed my time there. And I am glad that there are sticking to their morals and values, instead of giving into the demands of the western countries.

And English fans are known as hooligans who go abroad, get drunk and cause public disorder. So it’s for the best that English football fans are kept away from alcohol.

I have been to Qatar 5 times for various reasons, the longest I have ever stayed in 4 days though.

It's a quieter version of Dubai. These fans will receive the highest level of hospitality, access amazing resteraunts and hotels, 5 star facilities and top class infrastructure.

Instead they are complaining about not being able to drink in stadiums ( they can't even do that at home), and not being able to kiss their partners in public lol

They have really warped priorities.

 

[MenInG]

 

[Technics 1210]

Stadium beer is banned in England too.

FSA should caveat their statement by stating supporters who wish to drink alcohol, rather than generalise 'all supporters'.

Many families and non-alcohol drinking supporters will welcome this decision.

 

[Technics 1210]

Oh, one point the Western MSM are not highlighting - those in corporate areas of stadiums at the tournament will still be able to purchase alcohol.

 

[KingKhanWC]

English fans need a kick up their backsides.

In England, it is not permitted to consume alcohol within the football stadium.

But no, any excuse to make a song and dance of Qatari Football policies!

English media also know this but are ignoring this basic fact otherwise their criticism will look very stupid but it is anyway.

England are the last nation to complain when it comes to safety, this will be the first tournament their fans will behave themselves.

Personally Im hoping England is knocked out early, so we can enjoy the rest of the world cup without their pathetic hate propaganda.

 

[ex-q-zit]

Fans Saddened By World Cup Stadium Beer Ban In Qatar

Football fans in Qatar for the World Cup were left gasping by a stadium beer ban which was ordered by organisers on Friday, just two days before the tournament kicks off. The last-minute decision to stop the sale of beer around the eight World Cup stadiums was reportedly made on the orders of Qatar's ruling royal family. Ecuador fan Diana, 31, told AFP she was saddened by the ban as she would have liked to have had a drink ahead of her country's match with hosts Qatar which opens the World Cup.

"That's quite sad because, you know, with this weather and all the excitement we have, of course we want a beer at least once," she said.

Her compatriot Amelia, 22, said "it's going to be like a cultural shock" not to be able to drink alcohol at her country's games.

"It's not prohibited in most countries around the world," she added. "But we have to respect their culture and their rules."

Qatar is an Islamic state which severely restricts alcohol consumption and other areas of public life and reaction among locals in Doha was mixed.

"I think it should be allowed because like there are many people from all over the world coming here," said 26-year-old Ayu Whazir.

"And, you know, previously FIFA have been selling alcohol publicly."

However Hashem Walid, 20, was not bothered about a decision which has left the expected one million fans set to visit the country unable to engage in the customary quaffing before and after matches.

"I know the English fans won't be too happy, but you don't get everything you want in life, so I'm sorry."

NDTV

 

[ex-q-zit]

World Cup 2022: What's behind the sustained condemnation of Qatar?

UK's Labour leader Keir Starmer, notoriously cautious, has gone into battle over the upcoming Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Even if England’s team made it into the final, he said on air in late October, “the human rights record is such that I wouldn’t go and that’ll be the position of the Labour Party”.

Shortly afterwards, the shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, announced that no Labour delegation would be going to Qatar. “LGBT England and Wales fans are having to put up with the tournament being played in a country where their sexuality is criminalised,” she said.

This kind of moral stance is unusual for the Labour Party. Starmer recently slammed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend COP27 in Egypt as an “absolute failure of leadership”. But by all measures, human rights are in a much worse state in Egypt than in Qatar.

There are an estimated 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt, including the activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A British-Egyptian dual citizen, he recently called off a hunger strike and risks dying in prison as have hundreds of other political detainees.

Does Starmer think that climate change is more important than these staggering human rights abuses? His pragmatism when it comes to Egypt does not seem to extend to Qatar.

It’s curious that Starmer should intervene so stridently in a sporting event. Perhaps we can expect the Labour leader to remark next on the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates has a record of imprisoning dissidents, and there is widespread abuse of migrant workers. Like Qatar, the country criminalises homosexuality. But so far, Starmer hasn’t said anything about the Grand Prix.

And then there’s cricket. When England won the final of the 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia at the weekend, it would have been the perfect time for Starmer to announce that Labour would boycott the Cricket World Cup next year in India. Experts warn of a potential genocide against Muslims there.

Does Starmer think that the lives of Indian workers in Qatar are more valuable than the lives of minority citizens in India? Perhaps Labour is soon to announce its boycott of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Vociferously condemned

Selective moral outrage isn’t just coming from the Labour Party, though. Qatar is being widely and vociferously condemned in the sports world and the mainstream press.

Coach Gary Neville has been lambasted for agreeing to work for the Qatari state-owned channel beIN Sports at the World Cup. Former England striker Gary Lineker says he knows secretly gay Premier League footballers and thinks it would be “great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup” to send a message to Qatar.

Then there’s England’s team captain, Harry Kane. He intends to wear a "OneLove" rainbow-coloured armband in Qatar showing support for LGBTQ+ rights.

There’s something strange about the coverage of this World Cup. There are many serious criticisms that can be levelled against Qatar. But the country is subject to an extraordinary campaign which often seems based on ignorance and bigotry.

In the British press, only a very small amount of the coverage of Russia in the run-up to its 2018 World Cup was about the football event. By contrast, almost half of the coverage on Qatar has been about the World Cup.

Reporting on Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the bombing of Syria and human rights abuses was relatively disconnected from coverage of the World Cup there. In the one-dimensional, simplistic reporting on Qatar, however, human rights abuses are being closely connected to the World Cup, even when the two topics are not directly related. The result has been the extreme politicisation of the sporting event.

Painting a simplistic caricature of Qatar, moreover, is significant in shaping public opinion about the country. Most people in Europe and America know little about Qatar’s people, history, political system and culture except for what they see in coverage of the World Cup.
'Oriental despotism'

In France, where multiple municipalities are refusing to hold public screenings of World Cup matches in protest at Qatar hosting the event, the magazine Le Canard recently published a racist cartoon depicting Qatari footballers as terrorists, holding the country up as a spectacle of horrifying barbarism in a manner that evokes old ideas of "oriental despotism".

In 2021, the Guardian reported that a staggering 6,500 migrant workers had died since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, seeming to imply that the deaths were connected to the World Cup.

The 6,500 figure actually refers to all deaths of migrant workers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Bangladesh, regardless of cause," says Marc Owen Jones, assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar. “It's not an 'excess' death figure.”

The number of worker deaths actually linked to the World Cup is disputed. While World Cup organisers say that there have been three work-related accidents and 37 deaths from all causes, a report by the UN’s International Labour Organisation says that there were 50 deaths in the construction industry in 2020 and raises questions about the way that deaths are categorised.

The Guardian’s story was tweeted thousands of times and the "6,500" figure was picked up by journalists across Europe, especially in France, often being misinterpreted as suggesting that 6,500 migrants had died on World Cup construction sites. In Britain, the number was cited by a Sky News interviewer, speaking about World Cup-related deaths in a question put to Qatar’s foreign minister. He replied that the figure was untrue.

And at a recent football match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, fans held up a flag saying “15,000 deaths for 5,760 minutes of football - shame on you”. The "15,000" figure stems from an Amnesty International report. It refers to the total number of deaths of all non-Qataris in Qatar between 2010 and 2019, not of construction workers on the World Cup, nor even only construction workers.

Reforms

Political geographer Natalie Koch, who has studied the topic in depth, notes that “it is rarely the Qatari government directly exploiting the workers but their fellow citizens who serve as brokers and manage their contracts in Qatar and at home”.

In recent years, reforms have somewhat improved the situation in Qatar. The kafala sponsorship system has been overhauled so that migrants can now change jobs without their employers’ approval. Researcher Crystal Ennis, writing for Middle East Eye, notes that “improvements have taken place to bring regulations into line with international labour standards”.

Qatar is now far ahead of its neighbours in key respects. In 2021, the government introduced a non-discriminatory minimum wage law. By the end of the year, it had reportedly paid $165m in compensation to 36,000 workers.

In a new report, the International Labour Organisation highlights improved working and living conditions for workers because of reforms introduced by the Qatari government. It adds, however, that there were still immense challenges in implementing these reforms. The reality is that terrible abuse and appalling living conditions remain a feature of life for many migrants.

The overarching problem, Ennis argues, is the exploitation of migrant workers in global labour market structures. It’s not just the Gulf - some European countries also have serious issues with the abuse of migrant workers, but they receive little attention in the mainstream British media.

A global effort is needed to encourage safe and regular migration. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International warn against an international boycott of the World Cup, arguing that it won’t drive positive change. Strikingly, though, only seven of the qualifying football federations endorsed a campaign calling on Fifa to create a $440m compensation fund for migrant workers. This was a more practical but less sensational demand.

LGBTQ+ rights

Of course, there are some irreconcilable differences in values between the British public and Qatar. One issue which has provoked particular outrage is LGBTQ+ rights - 62 percent of British people think Qatar’s position on this issue alone should have barred it from hosting the World Cup.

It is of course vital to draw attention to horrifying reports of the arbitrary arrest and abuse of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar. Human Rights Watch recently documented "six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022", although Qatar strongly disputes the report’s assertions.

But in terms of the criminalisation of homosexuality, there’s nothing exceptional about Qatar’s stance. In most Commonwealth countries homosexuality is illegal, and many of these are Christian, not Muslim, countries.

This raises the question of whether it’s acceptable to travel to or engage with countries around the world such as Saint Lucia, Singapore and Nigeria. If it is, why is Qatar being singled out?

Nor does this issue pit Europe against the rest of the world. Around 100 towns and regions across Poland have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. In Italy, the recently elected government strongly opposes same-sex marriage and its president rails against the “LGBT lobby”.

In Qatar, sexuality is understood in terms of actions rather than identity. Under Qatari law, sexual relations outside of marriage and sodomy are both crimes, whether they’re between a man and woman or a same-sex couple. So too are “immoral actions”, a term which is undefined.

It’s noteworthy that the US Department of State report in 2021, like reports in previous years, doesn’t reference any actual prosecutions for same-sex sexual behaviour. However, it must be said that the reporting of incidents is limited due to the Qatari LGBTQ+ community not being able to be open about their identities

Qatar’s approach reflects the fact that its society is conservative. Public displays of affection between members of the same sex are forbidden, and any public display of affection can lead to arrest, including between a man and a woman. Holding hands, by contrast, is legal - including for two men and two women.

In the run-up to the World Cup, the emir of Qatar has maintained that LGBTQ+ fans are welcome but must “respect our culture”.

Complexity

It’s worthy of comment that the world of football has never been renowned for its celebration of LGBTQ+ identities either. In May this year, Jake Daniels became the first male British footballer in over 30 years to come out as gay.

No country should be treated like it’s beyond criticism. And any country that hosts a major sporting event must expect to face scrutiny over its human rights record.

But the orientalist depiction of Qatar as a land of exceptional barbarism functions as a form of virtue signalling, a self-congratulatory but incoherent show of moral superiority.

Qatar is a young country - it was only founded in 1971 and it has developed dramatically in the last few decades. Last year, the nation held its first elections for the Shura Council, the state’s legislative body. Qatar is a fast-changing country, and that’s partly because of hosting the World Cup.

This could have been a chance for the world to learn more about Qatar. Instead, the opposite is happening.

Taking a moral stance is important, but can only be helpful if it’s consistent and combined with a genuine attempt to understand the Other in all its complexity.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/qatar-world-cup-sustained-condemnation

 

[SalimBhai]

World Cup 2022: What's behind the sustained condemnation of Qatar?

UK's Labour leader Keir Starmer, notoriously cautious, has gone into battle over the upcoming Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Even if England’s team made it into the final, he said on air in late October, “the human rights record is such that I wouldn’t go and that’ll be the position of the Labour Party”.

Shortly afterwards, the shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, announced that no Labour delegation would be going to Qatar. “LGBT England and Wales fans are having to put up with the tournament being played in a country where their sexuality is criminalised,” she said.

This kind of moral stance is unusual for the Labour Party. Starmer recently slammed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend COP27 in Egypt as an “absolute failure of leadership”. But by all measures, human rights are in a much worse state in Egypt than in Qatar.

There are an estimated 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt, including the activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A British-Egyptian dual citizen, he recently called off a hunger strike and risks dying in prison as have hundreds of other political detainees.

Does Starmer think that climate change is more important than these staggering human rights abuses? His pragmatism when it comes to Egypt does not seem to extend to Qatar.

It’s curious that Starmer should intervene so stridently in a sporting event. Perhaps we can expect the Labour leader to remark next on the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates has a record of imprisoning dissidents, and there is widespread abuse of migrant workers. Like Qatar, the country criminalises homosexuality. But so far, Starmer hasn’t said anything about the Grand Prix.

And then there’s cricket. When England won the final of the 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia at the weekend, it would have been the perfect time for Starmer to announce that Labour would boycott the Cricket World Cup next year in India. Experts warn of a potential genocide against Muslims there.

Does Starmer think that the lives of Indian workers in Qatar are more valuable than the lives of minority citizens in India? Perhaps Labour is soon to announce its boycott of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Vociferously condemned

Selective moral outrage isn’t just coming from the Labour Party, though. Qatar is being widely and vociferously condemned in the sports world and the mainstream press.

Coach Gary Neville has been lambasted for agreeing to work for the Qatari state-owned channel beIN Sports at the World Cup. Former England striker Gary Lineker says he knows secretly gay Premier League footballers and thinks it would be “great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup” to send a message to Qatar.

Then there’s England’s team captain, Harry Kane. He intends to wear a "OneLove" rainbow-coloured armband in Qatar showing support for LGBTQ+ rights.

There’s something strange about the coverage of this World Cup. There are many serious criticisms that can be levelled against Qatar. But the country is subject to an extraordinary campaign which often seems based on ignorance and bigotry.

In the British press, only a very small amount of the coverage of Russia in the run-up to its 2018 World Cup was about the football event. By contrast, almost half of the coverage on Qatar has been about the World Cup.

Reporting on Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the bombing of Syria and human rights abuses was relatively disconnected from coverage of the World Cup there. In the one-dimensional, simplistic reporting on Qatar, however, human rights abuses are being closely connected to the World Cup, even when the two topics are not directly related. The result has been the extreme politicisation of the sporting event.

Painting a simplistic caricature of Qatar, moreover, is significant in shaping public opinion about the country. Most people in Europe and America know little about Qatar’s people, history, political system and culture except for what they see in coverage of the World Cup.
'Oriental despotism'

In France, where multiple municipalities are refusing to hold public screenings of World Cup matches in protest at Qatar hosting the event, the magazine Le Canard recently published a racist cartoon depicting Qatari footballers as terrorists, holding the country up as a spectacle of horrifying barbarism in a manner that evokes old ideas of "oriental despotism".

In 2021, the Guardian reported that a staggering 6,500 migrant workers had died since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, seeming to imply that the deaths were connected to the World Cup.

The 6,500 figure actually refers to all deaths of migrant workers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Bangladesh, regardless of cause," says Marc Owen Jones, assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar. “It's not an 'excess' death figure.”

The number of worker deaths actually linked to the World Cup is disputed. While World Cup organisers say that there have been three work-related accidents and 37 deaths from all causes, a report by the UN’s International Labour Organisation says that there were 50 deaths in the construction industry in 2020 and raises questions about the way that deaths are categorised.

The Guardian’s story was tweeted thousands of times and the "6,500" figure was picked up by journalists across Europe, especially in France, often being misinterpreted as suggesting that 6,500 migrants had died on World Cup construction sites. In Britain, the number was cited by a Sky News interviewer, speaking about World Cup-related deaths in a question put to Qatar’s foreign minister. He replied that the figure was untrue.

And at a recent football match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, fans held up a flag saying “15,000 deaths for 5,760 minutes of football - shame on you”. The "15,000" figure stems from an Amnesty International report. It refers to the total number of deaths of all non-Qataris in Qatar between 2010 and 2019, not of construction workers on the World Cup, nor even only construction workers.

Reforms

Political geographer Natalie Koch, who has studied the topic in depth, notes that “it is rarely the Qatari government directly exploiting the workers but their fellow citizens who serve as brokers and manage their contracts in Qatar and at home”.

In recent years, reforms have somewhat improved the situation in Qatar. The kafala sponsorship system has been overhauled so that migrants can now change jobs without their employers’ approval. Researcher Crystal Ennis, writing for Middle East Eye, notes that “improvements have taken place to bring regulations into line with international labour standards”.

Qatar is now far ahead of its neighbours in key respects. In 2021, the government introduced a non-discriminatory minimum wage law. By the end of the year, it had reportedly paid $165m in compensation to 36,000 workers.

In a new report, the International Labour Organisation highlights improved working and living conditions for workers because of reforms introduced by the Qatari government. It adds, however, that there were still immense challenges in implementing these reforms. The reality is that terrible abuse and appalling living conditions remain a feature of life for many migrants.

The overarching problem, Ennis argues, is the exploitation of migrant workers in global labour market structures. It’s not just the Gulf - some European countries also have serious issues with the abuse of migrant workers, but they receive little attention in the mainstream British media.

A global effort is needed to encourage safe and regular migration. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International warn against an international boycott of the World Cup, arguing that it won’t drive positive change. Strikingly, though, only seven of the qualifying football federations endorsed a campaign calling on Fifa to create a $440m compensation fund for migrant workers. This was a more practical but less sensational demand.

LGBTQ+ rights

Of course, there are some irreconcilable differences in values between the British public and Qatar. One issue which has provoked particular outrage is LGBTQ+ rights - 62 percent of British people think Qatar’s position on this issue alone should have barred it from hosting the World Cup.

It is of course vital to draw attention to horrifying reports of the arbitrary arrest and abuse of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar. Human Rights Watch recently documented "six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022", although Qatar strongly disputes the report’s assertions.

But in terms of the criminalisation of homosexuality, there’s nothing exceptional about Qatar’s stance. In most Commonwealth countries homosexuality is illegal, and many of these are Christian, not Muslim, countries.

This raises the question of whether it’s acceptable to travel to or engage with countries around the world such as Saint Lucia, Singapore and Nigeria. If it is, why is Qatar being singled out?

Nor does this issue pit Europe against the rest of the world. Around 100 towns and regions across Poland have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. In Italy, the recently elected government strongly opposes same-sex marriage and its president rails against the “LGBT lobby”.

In Qatar, sexuality is understood in terms of actions rather than identity. Under Qatari law, sexual relations outside of marriage and sodomy are both crimes, whether they’re between a man and woman or a same-sex couple. So too are “immoral actions”, a term which is undefined.

It’s noteworthy that the US Department of State report in 2021, like reports in previous years, doesn’t reference any actual prosecutions for same-sex sexual behaviour. However, it must be said that the reporting of incidents is limited due to the Qatari LGBTQ+ community not being able to be open about their identities

Qatar’s approach reflects the fact that its society is conservative. Public displays of affection between members of the same sex are forbidden, and any public display of affection can lead to arrest, including between a man and a woman. Holding hands, by contrast, is legal - including for two men and two women.

In the run-up to the World Cup, the emir of Qatar has maintained that LGBTQ+ fans are welcome but must “respect our culture”.

Complexity

It’s worthy of comment that the world of football has never been renowned for its celebration of LGBTQ+ identities either. In May this year, Jake Daniels became the first male British footballer in over 30 years to come out as gay.

No country should be treated like it’s beyond criticism. And any country that hosts a major sporting event must expect to face scrutiny over its human rights record.

But the orientalist depiction of Qatar as a land of exceptional barbarism functions as a form of virtue signalling, a self-congratulatory but incoherent show of moral superiority.

Qatar is a young country - it was only founded in 1971 and it has developed dramatically in the last few decades. Last year, the nation held its first elections for the Shura Council, the state’s legislative body. Qatar is a fast-changing country, and that’s partly because of hosting the World Cup.

This could have been a chance for the world to learn more about Qatar. Instead, the opposite is happening.

Taking a moral stance is important, but can only be helpful if it’s consistent and combined with a genuine attempt to understand the Other in all its complexity.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/qatar-world-cup-sustained-condemnation

hahahaha. England will get knocked out early. so that will never happen anyway. he can rest assured

 

[SalimBhai]

England has no moral high ground . Where were these demands when it was Russia or china for Olympics. Now I dont care for Qatar. But lets criticize everyone equally or shut up

 

[Technics 1210]

English media also know this but are ignoring this basic fact otherwise their criticism will look very stupid but it is anyway.

England are the last nation to complain when it comes to safety, this will be the first tournament their fans will behave themselves.

Personally Im hoping England is knocked out early, so we can enjoy the rest of the world cup without their pathetic hate propaganda.

The most hilarious aspect is these Western Liberals and SJWs will still follow the World Cup. Whether they tune in or catch up on a match report. Sheer delightful hypocrits.

Meanwhile the people I know who have travelled to Qatar are looking forward to a hooligan/politics/aggression free World Cup.

 

[Browncaps]

World Cup 2022: What's behind the sustained condemnation of Qatar?

UK's Labour leader Keir Starmer, notoriously cautious, has gone into battle over the upcoming Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Even if England’s team made it into the final, he said on air in late October, “the human rights record is such that I wouldn’t go and that’ll be the position of the Labour Party”.

Shortly afterwards, the shadow culture secretary, Lucy Powell, announced that no Labour delegation would be going to Qatar. “LGBT England and Wales fans are having to put up with the tournament being played in a country where their sexuality is criminalised,” she said.

This kind of moral stance is unusual for the Labour Party. Starmer recently slammed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend COP27 in Egypt as an “absolute failure of leadership”. But by all measures, human rights are in a much worse state in Egypt than in Qatar.

There are an estimated 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt, including the activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A British-Egyptian dual citizen, he recently called off a hunger strike and risks dying in prison as have hundreds of other political detainees.

Does Starmer think that climate change is more important than these staggering human rights abuses? His pragmatism when it comes to Egypt does not seem to extend to Qatar.

It’s curious that Starmer should intervene so stridently in a sporting event. Perhaps we can expect the Labour leader to remark next on the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates has a record of imprisoning dissidents, and there is widespread abuse of migrant workers. Like Qatar, the country criminalises homosexuality. But so far, Starmer hasn’t said anything about the Grand Prix.

And then there’s cricket. When England won the final of the 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia at the weekend, it would have been the perfect time for Starmer to announce that Labour would boycott the Cricket World Cup next year in India. Experts warn of a potential genocide against Muslims there.

Does Starmer think that the lives of Indian workers in Qatar are more valuable than the lives of minority citizens in India? Perhaps Labour is soon to announce its boycott of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Vociferously condemned

Selective moral outrage isn’t just coming from the Labour Party, though. Qatar is being widely and vociferously condemned in the sports world and the mainstream press.

Coach Gary Neville has been lambasted for agreeing to work for the Qatari state-owned channel beIN Sports at the World Cup. Former England striker Gary Lineker says he knows secretly gay Premier League footballers and thinks it would be “great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup” to send a message to Qatar.

Then there’s England’s team captain, Harry Kane. He intends to wear a "OneLove" rainbow-coloured armband in Qatar showing support for LGBTQ+ rights.

There’s something strange about the coverage of this World Cup. There are many serious criticisms that can be levelled against Qatar. But the country is subject to an extraordinary campaign which often seems based on ignorance and bigotry.

In the British press, only a very small amount of the coverage of Russia in the run-up to its 2018 World Cup was about the football event. By contrast, almost half of the coverage on Qatar has been about the World Cup.

Reporting on Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the bombing of Syria and human rights abuses was relatively disconnected from coverage of the World Cup there. In the one-dimensional, simplistic reporting on Qatar, however, human rights abuses are being closely connected to the World Cup, even when the two topics are not directly related. The result has been the extreme politicisation of the sporting event.

Painting a simplistic caricature of Qatar, moreover, is significant in shaping public opinion about the country. Most people in Europe and America know little about Qatar’s people, history, political system and culture except for what they see in coverage of the World Cup.
'Oriental despotism'

In France, where multiple municipalities are refusing to hold public screenings of World Cup matches in protest at Qatar hosting the event, the magazine Le Canard recently published a racist cartoon depicting Qatari footballers as terrorists, holding the country up as a spectacle of horrifying barbarism in a manner that evokes old ideas of "oriental despotism".

In 2021, the Guardian reported that a staggering 6,500 migrant workers had died since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, seeming to imply that the deaths were connected to the World Cup.

The 6,500 figure actually refers to all deaths of migrant workers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India and Bangladesh, regardless of cause," says Marc Owen Jones, assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar. “It's not an 'excess' death figure.”

The number of worker deaths actually linked to the World Cup is disputed. While World Cup organisers say that there have been three work-related accidents and 37 deaths from all causes, a report by the UN’s International Labour Organisation says that there were 50 deaths in the construction industry in 2020 and raises questions about the way that deaths are categorised.

The Guardian’s story was tweeted thousands of times and the "6,500" figure was picked up by journalists across Europe, especially in France, often being misinterpreted as suggesting that 6,500 migrants had died on World Cup construction sites. In Britain, the number was cited by a Sky News interviewer, speaking about World Cup-related deaths in a question put to Qatar’s foreign minister. He replied that the figure was untrue.

And at a recent football match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, fans held up a flag saying “15,000 deaths for 5,760 minutes of football - shame on you”. The "15,000" figure stems from an Amnesty International report. It refers to the total number of deaths of all non-Qataris in Qatar between 2010 and 2019, not of construction workers on the World Cup, nor even only construction workers.

Reforms

Political geographer Natalie Koch, who has studied the topic in depth, notes that “it is rarely the Qatari government directly exploiting the workers but their fellow citizens who serve as brokers and manage their contracts in Qatar and at home”.

In recent years, reforms have somewhat improved the situation in Qatar. The kafala sponsorship system has been overhauled so that migrants can now change jobs without their employers’ approval. Researcher Crystal Ennis, writing for Middle East Eye, notes that “improvements have taken place to bring regulations into line with international labour standards”.

Qatar is now far ahead of its neighbours in key respects. In 2021, the government introduced a non-discriminatory minimum wage law. By the end of the year, it had reportedly paid $165m in compensation to 36,000 workers.

In a new report, the International Labour Organisation highlights improved working and living conditions for workers because of reforms introduced by the Qatari government. It adds, however, that there were still immense challenges in implementing these reforms. The reality is that terrible abuse and appalling living conditions remain a feature of life for many migrants.

The overarching problem, Ennis argues, is the exploitation of migrant workers in global labour market structures. It’s not just the Gulf - some European countries also have serious issues with the abuse of migrant workers, but they receive little attention in the mainstream British media.

A global effort is needed to encourage safe and regular migration. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International warn against an international boycott of the World Cup, arguing that it won’t drive positive change. Strikingly, though, only seven of the qualifying football federations endorsed a campaign calling on Fifa to create a $440m compensation fund for migrant workers. This was a more practical but less sensational demand.

LGBTQ+ rights

Of course, there are some irreconcilable differences in values between the British public and Qatar. One issue which has provoked particular outrage is LGBTQ+ rights - 62 percent of British people think Qatar’s position on this issue alone should have barred it from hosting the World Cup.

It is of course vital to draw attention to horrifying reports of the arbitrary arrest and abuse of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar. Human Rights Watch recently documented "six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022", although Qatar strongly disputes the report’s assertions.

But in terms of the criminalisation of homosexuality, there’s nothing exceptional about Qatar’s stance. In most Commonwealth countries homosexuality is illegal, and many of these are Christian, not Muslim, countries.

This raises the question of whether it’s acceptable to travel to or engage with countries around the world such as Saint Lucia, Singapore and Nigeria. If it is, why is Qatar being singled out?

Nor does this issue pit Europe against the rest of the world. Around 100 towns and regions across Poland have declared themselves free of “LGBT ideology”. In Italy, the recently elected government strongly opposes same-sex marriage and its president rails against the “LGBT lobby”.

In Qatar, sexuality is understood in terms of actions rather than identity. Under Qatari law, sexual relations outside of marriage and sodomy are both crimes, whether they’re between a man and woman or a same-sex couple. So too are “immoral actions”, a term which is undefined.

It’s noteworthy that the US Department of State report in 2021, like reports in previous years, doesn’t reference any actual prosecutions for same-sex sexual behaviour. However, it must be said that the reporting of incidents is limited due to the Qatari LGBTQ+ community not being able to be open about their identities

Qatar’s approach reflects the fact that its society is conservative. Public displays of affection between members of the same sex are forbidden, and any public display of affection can lead to arrest, including between a man and a woman. Holding hands, by contrast, is legal - including for two men and two women.

In the run-up to the World Cup, the emir of Qatar has maintained that LGBTQ+ fans are welcome but must “respect our culture”.

Complexity

It’s worthy of comment that the world of football has never been renowned for its celebration of LGBTQ+ identities either. In May this year, Jake Daniels became the first male British footballer in over 30 years to come out as gay.

No country should be treated like it’s beyond criticism. And any country that hosts a major sporting event must expect to face scrutiny over its human rights record.

But the orientalist depiction of Qatar as a land of exceptional barbarism functions as a form of virtue signalling, a self-congratulatory but incoherent show of moral superiority.

Qatar is a young country - it was only founded in 1971 and it has developed dramatically in the last few decades. Last year, the nation held its first elections for the Shura Council, the state’s legislative body. Qatar is a fast-changing country, and that’s partly because of hosting the World Cup.

This could have been a chance for the world to learn more about Qatar. Instead, the opposite is happening.

Taking a moral stance is important, but can only be helpful if it’s consistent and combined with a genuine attempt to understand the Other in all its complexity.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/qatar-world-cup-sustained-condemnation

Funny how the UK thinks that it can comment on others human rights records given the massacres they perpetrated and the active world issues they created and that they can spread propaganda about the total deaths of non Qataris in Qatar from 2010-2019 as World Cup related all the while children of immigrant descent are physically assaulted in schools in their own country for decades and women are killed by police officers.

Their own usual habits of spreading violence and chaos when overseas are world famous. Even the Italian fans in London were unsafe with even British women abusing them after the Euro 2020 final. While some other countries have commented on their concerns these hypocrites by far have the most issue with the World Cup being hosted in a safer, cleaner and more advanced country.

 

[world cup captain]

This is good. Hopefully such a country will never get hosting rights to an international tournament ever again.

 

[MenInG]

This is good. Hopefully such a country will never get hosting rights to an international tournament ever again.

This will be the safest and most family friendly World Cup EVER.

 

[SalimBhai]

I think there have been no issues anywhere regarding safety issues in the past world cups. So it's nothing new. I dont expect any issues this time around also,

 

[world cup captain]

This will be the safest and most family friendly World Cup EVER.

Not sure how that's a factor here. Never the less, one couldn't pay me to visit Qatar let alone be content with any female family member visiting the country.

The Qatari government had shown that it cannot be trusted and no amount of money can change that.

 

[MenInG]

Not sure how that's a factor here. Never the less, one couldn't pay me to visit Qatar let alone be content with any female family member visiting the country.

The Qatari government had shown that it cannot be trusted and no amount of money can change that.

Think you need to visit Qatar to understand how things have changed.

 

[sweep_shot]

This will be the safest and most family friendly World Cup EVER.

In sha Allah.

Qatar shouldn't give in. They should continue their good works when it comes to keeping law and order.

 

[SalimBhai]

In sha Allah.

Qatar shouldn't give in. They should continue their good works when it comes to keeping law and order.

Dude they have terrible human rights record. Terrible workers rights. You are acting as if it’s sweden or some thing. Having said that the games should go on and England should butt out as they did when russia and China help the games as they have a terrible record also.

 

[world cup captain]

Think you need to visit Qatar to understand how things have changed.

Yes, trust a deceitful government that agreed to host the cup with $75 million contract for alcohol sale. Only to ban it 2 days before the opening day and after fans have flew into Qatar.

The Qatari government is only exposing the hypocrites they are to the rest of the world.

 

[Technics 1210]

My utmost wish is if any SJW/Liberals are caught pushing their political agenda and breaking the Qatari law, they should be arrested, and deported on the next available flight. No reimbursements what so ever!

 

[Technics 1210]

Yes, trust a deceitful government that agreed to host the cup with $75 million contract for alcohol sale. Only to ban it 2 days before the opening day and after fans have flew into Qatar.

The Qatari government is only exposing the hypocrites they are to the rest of the world.

Wipe those tears buddy, Alcohol is not banned, it will still be available in designated areas, including corporate spots; just sales have been restricted/banned within stadium compounds to avoid Hooliganism.

Also the only deceitful lot are the FIFA deligates who voted for Qatar, and Russia mind you, so they could line their pockets.

If you don't like the ME, fine, but stop supporting teams funded by Arab money. Live up to your hype.

 

[sweep_shot]

Dude they have terrible human rights record. Terrible workers rights. You are acting as if it’s sweden or some thing. Having said that the games should go on and England should butt out as they did when russia and China help the games as they have a terrible record also.

Terrible worker right is an issue in many countries. Not just exclusive to Qatar.

Anyway. I believe this migrant issue has been blown out of proportion. It needs to be addressed but I think people are going overboard.

I was referring to other aspects of Qatar. Their zero tolerance for nonsensical/degenerate behavior, for example.

 

[Mamoon]

Looking forward to visiting Doha in the future, I have spent a lot of time in Dubai and I have been to KSA.

I absolutely love the gulf/ME countries. Must be wonderful to live in if you have a good job. It has everything also security and safety that the West cannot offer.

The same Brits who are criticizing the human rights laws are the first one to hop to Dubai for holidays. You go to Atlantis Water Park or the beaches there and you will find more British folks than any other nationals.

Nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites trying to appease the woke media who is forcing this homosexuality sickness down everyone’s throats.

 

[Technics 1210]

These SJWs have mobile phones made in China at the hands of child labour and modern day slavery. This is an open secret hence why cost of manufacturing is cheap!

No problems using a China made device every day, then crying when it runs out battery, but no, Qatar worker's rights is now an issue because Western MSM needs an excuse because they still cannot get over FIFA awarding the WC for the first time to a nation in the ME. We all know why, and it's not down to worker's rights.

 

[SalimBhai]

Terrible worker right is an issue in many countries. Not just exclusive to Qatar.

Anyway. I believe this migrant issue has been blown out of proportion. It needs to be addressed but I think people are going overboard.

I was referring to other aspects of Qatar. Their zero tolerance for nonsensical/degenerate behavior, for example.

Have you seen Qataris in Bahrain . Degenerate behavior

 

[sweep_shot]

Have you seen Qataris in Bahrain . Degenerate behavior

It is nothing compared to how gender studies freaks or radical liberals/feminists in America behave.

 

[SalimBhai]

It is nothing compared to how gender studies freaks or radical liberals/feminists in America behave.

So I would say you have not seen the Qataris and Russian call girls in Bahrain. The bars are so full of there Muslim Qataris kuwaitíes and saudis

 

[world cup captain]

Wipe those tears buddy, Alcohol is not banned, it will still be available in designated areas, including corporate spots; just sales have been restricted/banned within stadium compounds to avoid Hooliganism.

Also the only deceitful lot are the FIFA deligates who voted for Qatar, and Russia mind you, so they could line their pockets.

If you don't like the ME, fine, but stop supporting teams funded by Arab money. Live up to your hype.

Where have I excused the pathetic Fifa officials who only care about filling their own pockets with bribes? This debacle has created an opening for another organization to fill the hole that Fifa has created.

Yes, alcohol will be allowed for those that can pay an extreme cost of almost $20k. The thousands of common fans that travelled to Qatar are being screwed over by the Qatari government.

These SJWs have mobile phones made in China at the hands of child labour and modern day slavery. This is an open secret hence why cost of manufacturing is cheap!

No problems using a China made device every day, then crying when it runs out battery, but no, Qatar worker's rights is now an issue because Western MSM needs an excuse because they still cannot get over FIFA awarding the WC for the first time to a nation in the ME. We all know why, and it's not down to worker's rights.

Quite fancy coming from another Pakistani. We're China's lapdog who are don't dare to speak up against their horrific actions against the Uyghur. Do you not use any Chinese produced good? Apparently you get excused of all that you accuse others of.

 

[Technics 1210]

Where have I excused the pathetic Fifa officials who only care about filling their own pockets with bribes? This debacle has created an opening for another organization to fill the hole that Fifa has created.

Yes, alcohol will be allowed for those that can pay an extreme cost of almost $20k. The thousands of common fans that travelled to Qatar are being screwed over by the Qatari government.




Quite fancy coming from another Pakistani. We're China's lapdog who are don't dare to speak up against their horrific actions against the Uyghur. Do you not use any Chinese produced good? Apparently you get excused of all that you accuse others of.

So, let me get this straight, you are one of those people who believes one has to be drunk in order to enjoy themselves? Wow. Such low standards of living. There are millions who enjoy sporting events around the globe without the need of alcohol.

As for your final para, I have no problem in using products made in China since I neither weep nor wallow about human rights in other countries because MSM commands me to when the West has a problem with the Arab world hosting the WC but no problem in the Arab world investing in the West, in particular Football clubs.

Now tell me, why doesn't the West have a morality issue when accepting Arab money? Be it through Arab investment in the West, or be it through purchasing Oil, or be through selling arms and fighter jets to the Arab world? No problem at all, but when the WC is hosted in an Arab nation all concerns about human rights come to roost on Western MSM, and Footballers, and TV shows, and pundits, and Players? Why was Kane crying when he couldn't join Man City, but has a personal problem representing his country in Qatar? Please explain this Western duplicity and hypocrisy.

For the record, most of my electrical products are manufactured in Japan.

 

[The_KING]

Not sure how that's a factor here. Never the less, one couldn't pay me to visit Qatar let alone be content with any female family member visiting the country.

The Qatari government had shown that it cannot be trusted and no amount of money can change that.

Yeah lets host the world cup in Connecticut in America where psychos go round shooting people. Americans have no moral high ground to stand on. Qatar is a safer country than America.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Well done to Qatar. A Muslim country with some courage finally.

Whats Islamic about selling booze to VIP's?

 

[Donal Cozzie]

End of the day they made assurances to FIFA twelve years ago about how the event would be ran (of course they bribed to win the tournament but I'm sure FIFA asked for assurances). People can say local laws this and local culture that, when you host a WORLD cup, in a sport thats almost entirely dominated by fans of a vastly different culture, it is entirely reasonable to expect some temporary exceptions to be made for the event. Clearly Qatar know this, hence the original promises, as they know very few people would bother going to a country with such strict laws around personal responsibilities otherwise.

That in itself isnt the issue, alcohol is of course still freely available in certain areaa for this event, but when you spend a decade ensuring people all the amenities they can enjoy in any footballing stadium will be in Qatar, then turn around two days before the start and do a total about turn, it's going to **** people off, and rightfully so.

It's a trivial matter in the component of things given the workers murdered to construct this atrocity of a tournament. It's particularly hilarious when you consider alcohol IS being sold in stadiums, which is why I find those taking joy in this particularly funny, because the root reason for it isn't some attempt at defending Islamic law or heritage, its likely as the ruling class have realised that the entire country seeing footballing and global fan culture up close may just make them question why they cant enjoy these things after the tournament ends? Can't have that, allow it for the suckers paying 20 k a ticket and shut it for the rest, remind em all who makes the decisions eh.

In a way thought it's probably for the better., this tournament deserves nothing but controversy and failure, and I'm delighted FIFA will now almost certainly lose a considerable chunk of money as they deserve nothing less. Perfect bed fellows really.

 

[Technics 1210]

Has the thought ever occured to SJWs and the hypocritical West that the Western MSM has done nothing but ridicule Qatar since the day Qatar was awarded the 2022 WC, and perhaps banning Alcohol sales to the public is a reaction to the constant negatively reported on Qatar?

With 2 days to go, the English media are not even analysing the England squad and its chances, but instead are in hypocrisy human rights mode?

Lets get some facts straight, the West account for about 1 Billion in viewership, which is dwarfed by the viewership figures outside of the West.

These Western Football organisations who want to spread football around the world really mean just hosting the World Cup in countries that subscribe to Western values namely Alcohol, and Liberalism.

So much for Sports uniting the diverse world.

 

[Technics 1210]

In the EPL, alcohol is not permitted whilst sitting in the playing area, but Corporate boxes can still serve alcohol.

Here's the law for you EPL fans playing SJWs.

https://sgsa.org.uk/alcohol-at-football-grounds/

 

[MenInG]

Robbie Williams has defended his decision to perform in Qatar during the World Cup, arguing that it would be “hypocritical” not to go.

The singer, 48, has been criticised on social media for agreeing to sing during the tournament, which begins on Sunday night, due to the country’s human rights record, stance on homosexuality and treatment of migrant workers.

Other musicians including Dua Lipa and Rod Stewart have recently stated that they will not perform there.

But in an excerpt from Williams’s interview with Italian newspaper Il Venerdì di Repubblica, scheduled to be published next month, the former Take That member said: “Of course, I don’t condone any abuses of human rights anywhere.

“But, that being said, if we’re not condoning human rights abuses anywhere, then it would be the shortest tour the world has ever known: I wouldn’t even be able to perform in my own kitchen.”

He added: “Anybody leaving messages saying ‘no to Qatar’ are doing so on Chinese technology. It would be hypocritical of me to not go [to Qatar] because of the places that I do go to.”

Williams is scheduled to perform at Doha Golf Club in Qatar on 8 December.

He said: “You get this microscope that goes ‘OK, these are the baddies, and we need to rally against them’. I think that the hypocrisy there is that if we take that case in this place, we need to apply that unilaterally to the world.

“Then if we apply that unilaterally to the world, nobody can go anywhere.”

The singer added: “What we’re saying is: ‘You behave like us, or we will annex you from society. Behave like us, because we’ve got it right.’”

Amnesty International has called on Williams to use his concert to publicly address the accusations against Qatar.

Last weekend, Rod Stewart said he refused a substantial offer to perform in the country. He told the Sunday Times: “I was actually offered a lot of money, over $1m, to play there [Qatar] 15 months ago. I turned it down. It’s not right to go.”

Last week, Dua Lipa denied reports that she will perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup. The singer wrote on social media that she will “look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made” when it became the tournament’s host.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...decision-to-perform-in-qatar-during-world-cup

 

[rhony]

Going back on promises isn't a big deal for countries in Asia. Anyway it's a party that happens every 4years. Stay in your country, drink beer and enjoy the game on big screens. There could be random police brutality on the cards and there was a press rep roughed up by Police already. These are lawless parts of the world where you can't expect a proper trial when arrested.

I couldn't care less about LGBTQ+ or other issues during the WC, but the world cup is about partying and Qatar seems to be a party pooper.

 

[MenInG]

Gary Lineker says he is in Qatar to "report, not support" the World Cup and will discuss the issues surrounding the "tainted" tournament on air.

The host nation has been criticised for its stance on same-sex relationships, its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers.

Lineker said there was a "queasy feeling" surrounding the tournament.

"This is our job to come and report it and show people what it's about at home and hopefully in a fair way," he said.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Match of the Day presenter Lineker said: "There are significant issues around this World Cup, obviously with human rights issues, what has happened with the building of the stadiums and workers' rights and homophobia and various things they have here.

"I am accustomed to it as I've spent most of my life in the build-up to World Cups talking about issues other than football, but when the football starts you tend to stop talking about it. But that is how sportswashing works so you have to be careful."

Qatar has been accused of sportswashing - the act of using sport to improve reputation and project a positive image of a country - but World Cup organisers have promised openness and inclusivity.

Referring to Russia's invasion of Crimea before the last World Cup in 2018, former England captain Lineker added: "I felt we were sportswashed in Russia. I don't think the world stood up about what had happened in Crimea and I include ourselves in that.

"It didn't seem like the world objected as much as they have done about Russia invading Ukraine. You learn lessons. This is where the World Cup is. It's here and we are here to report the World Cup and not support it. We will raise the issues and talk about them.

"Whether that makes any change here, I suspect it won't, but I think it's important to talk about the various issues going on, as well as the football."

Lineker, who was top scorer at Mexico 86, arrived in Qatar on Friday and said it feels "almost surreal" with the start of the World Cup just two days away, adding it is "very different" to previous editions of the tournament.

Peaceful protests have been planned by some players, while England's Harry Kane, Wales' Gareth Bale and eight other captains of European teams will be wearing 'One Love' armbands, to promote diversity and inclusion in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

But Lineker says players at the World Cup "can't win" whether they choose to speak out against Qatar or not.

"It's a delicate balance between sportswashing and trying to make change. We will raise the issues at hand but will it really make a difference?" he said.

"We don't and the footballers don't get asked where the World Cup is. Footballers can never win, if you speak up and make a stand, people say stick to football.

"If you don't say anything, they say why aren't you speaking up? And we don't necessarily get this in other sports.

"I know it's global but it's the same with talking about footballers' salaries. People always talk about footballers getting paid too much but they don't talk about movie stars or singers or golfers or Formula 1 drivers and I think it's an element of these working class lads are a bit above their station. Even if it's subconscious."

'Lack of self-awareness' from Fifa

Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010, a decision which Lineker says was "unfathomable".

The decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively has been dogged by accusations of widespread corruption, with two investigations launched by Swiss prosecutors and the US Department of Justice in 2015.

Qatar and Russia have always denied any wrongdoing, and both were effectively cleared by Fifa's own investigation in 2017.

At the time, then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter supported the bid, but now says it was a "mistake" to award the World Cup to the Arab nation.

Earlier in November, Fifa wrote to all 32 competing nations telling them to "now focus on the football" following the controversial build-up.

"That was a real lack of self-awareness from Fifa to say that," said Lineker. "We have all seen the documentaries now, even though we felt it at the time.

"Most of the people who were involved in the decision to bring the World Cup here are in jail or expelled from Fifa or fined or banned so we all know. We are stuck with it but I guess we will try and make the most of it."

He added: "It has come at a cost that shouldn't have been paid. It's on my mind when we talk about it and raise the issues, which we will on the television.

"When there is a football match being played, I will be watching the football match but at the same time our thoughts will be with those who have lost their lives. How can you forget that?"

BBC

 

[daytrader]

Multiple World Cup sponsors concerned over contracts after Qatar’s alcohol ban

• U-turn on selling beer could affect £63m Budweiser contract
• Partners feel ‘let down by Fifa’ according to another sponsor

Multiple sponsors have raised concerns or issues with Fifa about their contracts at the Qatar World Cup, the Guardian can reveal. It gives football’s governing body another headache hours after it was forced to ban alcohol from stadiums by the Qatari authorities, a decision that complicated its $75m (£63m) contract with the brewer of Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev.

One representative of another major sponsor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that many partners had felt “let down by Fifa in lots of ways”. They also indicated there had been informal discussions about potential contractual breaches and reneging on deliverables.

“Everyone has a gripe in some way or form,” they added. “There is a lot of ‘regrouping’ going [on] to understand what the options are contractually speaking.”

Earlier Fifa confirmed in a terse statement that alcohol would not be sold inside or around the perimeter of World Cup stadiums.

“Following discussions between host country authorities and Fifa, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the Fifa Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters,” it said.

“There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar’s World Cup stadiums.”

However it will now be looking nervously over its shoulders at the prospect of legal action from Budweiser, unless some sort of compensation can be agreed with Qatar.

Shortly before the announcement the US beer brand sent a tweet – since deleted – that said: “Well, this is awkward…”

The sale of alcohol is strictly controlled in Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation, but organisers had promised it would be available in match venues and fan zones – and would be reasonably priced.

However it has now decided that alcohol will be available at matches only in hospitality boxes, where the cheapest suites are nearly £20,000 a match, and in some fan zones after 7pm, where it will cost nearly £12 for 500ml of Budweiser.

According to the New York Times, staff members were told the move had followed security advice but that the change had originated with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani – the brother of Qatar’s ruling emir and the royal most active in the day-to-day planning of the tournament.

The Guardian also understands another consideration was wanting to make sure the large number of supporters from Gulf and Asian countries, where drinking alcohol is not part of the culture, felt comfortable.

Until recently organisers had always said that they would find a way to find a middle ground between western fans’ tastes and Qatar’s conservative culture. That message was reiterated most recently by Fatma al-Nuaimi, head of communications for the Supreme Committee, who said: “When it comes to alcohol, hospitality is part of our culture, even if alcohol is not. So it will be in the places where the fans will gather, but not openly on the streets.”

The organisation’s official fan guide also states that “ticket holders will have access to Budweiser, Budweiser Zero, and Coca-Cola products within the stadium perimeter” for at least three hours before games, and for one hour afterwards.

The news was greeted with frustration by the Football Supporters’ Association, which questioned whether the Qataris could now be trusted on their other promises.

“Some fans like a beer at a match and some don’t, but the real issue is the last minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem – the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters,” a spokesperson said.

“If they can change their minds on this at a moment’s notice, with no explanation, supporters will have understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues.”

The Guardian

 

[MenInG]

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has hit back at criticism of Qatar from Europe in a press conference on the eve of the World Cup.

The game’s global governing body has been attacked for its decision to take the finals to Qatar, where the treatment of migrant workers and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have been in the spotlight leading up to the finals.

“We have [been] told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the western world,” Infantino said on Saturday. “I think for what we Europeans have been doing [for] the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for [the] next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

Infantino began his speech by saying: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.

“Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated [against], to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country.

“As a child I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian so imagine. What do you do then? You try to engage, make friends. Don’t start accusing, fighting, insulting, you start engaging. And this is what we should be doing.”

Infantino ended his hour-long press conference with an instruction to assembled journalists not to criticise the host nation. “If you need to criticise anybody, don’t put pressure on the players, the coaches.

“You want to criticise. You can crucify me. I’m here for that. Don’t criticise anyone. Don’t criticise Qatar. Let people enjoy this World Cup.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/19/fifa-gianni-infantino-world-cup-qatar

 

[Robert]

Who is FIFA to assure what's allowed or what's not allowed in Qatar? Funny.

FIFA have worked this out with the Qataris, who are trying to present themselves as a modern friendly state to attract tourism and investment.

 

[Manunited18]

Finally FIFA showing some courage to tone the hypocrites.

The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has hit back at criticism of Qatar from Europe in a press conference on the eve of the World Cup.

The game’s global governing body has been attacked for its decision to take the finals to Qatar, where the treatment of migrant workers and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have been in the spotlight leading up to the finals.

“We have [been] told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the western world,” Infantino said on Saturday. “I think for what we Europeans have been doing [for] the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for [the] next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

Infantino began his speech by saying: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.

“Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated [against], to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country.

“As a child I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian so imagine. What do you do then? You try to engage, make friends. Don’t start accusing, fighting, insulting, you start engaging. And this is what we should be doing.”

Infantino ended his hour-long press conference with an instruction to assembled journalists not to criticise the host nation. “If you need to criticise anybody, don’t put pressure on the players, the coaches.

“You want to criticise. You can crucify me. I’m here for that. Don’t criticise anyone. Don’t criticise Qatar. Let people enjoy this World Cup.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/19/fifa-gianni-infantino-world-cup-qatar

 

[Technics 1210]

Gary Lineker says he is in Qatar to "report, not support" the World Cup and will discuss the issues surrounding the "tainted" tournament on air.

The host nation has been criticised for its stance on same-sex relationships, its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers.

Lineker said there was a "queasy feeling" surrounding the tournament.

"This is our job to come and report it and show people what it's about at home and hopefully in a fair way," he said.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Match of the Day presenter Lineker said: "There are significant issues around this World Cup, obviously with human rights issues, what has happened with the building of the stadiums and workers' rights and homophobia and various things they have here.

"I am accustomed to it as I've spent most of my life in the build-up to World Cups talking about issues other than football, but when the football starts you tend to stop talking about it. But that is how sportswashing works so you have to be careful."

Qatar has been accused of sportswashing - the act of using sport to improve reputation and project a positive image of a country - but World Cup organisers have promised openness and inclusivity.

Referring to Russia's invasion of Crimea before the last World Cup in 2018, former England captain Lineker added: "I felt we were sportswashed in Russia. I don't think the world stood up about what had happened in Crimea and I include ourselves in that.

"It didn't seem like the world objected as much as they have done about Russia invading Ukraine. You learn lessons. This is where the World Cup is. It's here and we are here to report the World Cup and not support it. We will raise the issues and talk about them.

"Whether that makes any change here, I suspect it won't, but I think it's important to talk about the various issues going on, as well as the football."

Lineker, who was top scorer at Mexico 86, arrived in Qatar on Friday and said it feels "almost surreal" with the start of the World Cup just two days away, adding it is "very different" to previous editions of the tournament.

Peaceful protests have been planned by some players, while England's Harry Kane, Wales' Gareth Bale and eight other captains of European teams will be wearing 'One Love' armbands, to promote diversity and inclusion in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

But Lineker says players at the World Cup "can't win" whether they choose to speak out against Qatar or not.

"It's a delicate balance between sportswashing and trying to make change. We will raise the issues at hand but will it really make a difference?" he said.

"We don't and the footballers don't get asked where the World Cup is. Footballers can never win, if you speak up and make a stand, people say stick to football.

"If you don't say anything, they say why aren't you speaking up? And we don't necessarily get this in other sports.

"I know it's global but it's the same with talking about footballers' salaries. People always talk about footballers getting paid too much but they don't talk about movie stars or singers or golfers or Formula 1 drivers and I think it's an element of these working class lads are a bit above their station. Even if it's subconscious."

'Lack of self-awareness' from Fifa

Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010, a decision which Lineker says was "unfathomable".

The decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively has been dogged by accusations of widespread corruption, with two investigations launched by Swiss prosecutors and the US Department of Justice in 2015.

Qatar and Russia have always denied any wrongdoing, and both were effectively cleared by Fifa's own investigation in 2017.

At the time, then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter supported the bid, but now says it was a "mistake" to award the World Cup to the Arab nation.

Earlier in November, Fifa wrote to all 32 competing nations telling them to "now focus on the football" following the controversial build-up.

"That was a real lack of self-awareness from Fifa to say that," said Lineker. "We have all seen the documentaries now, even though we felt it at the time.

"Most of the people who were involved in the decision to bring the World Cup here are in jail or expelled from Fifa or fined or banned so we all know. We are stuck with it but I guess we will try and make the most of it."

He added: "It has come at a cost that shouldn't have been paid. It's on my mind when we talk about it and raise the issues, which we will on the television.

"When there is a football match being played, I will be watching the football match but at the same time our thoughts will be with those who have lost their lives. How can you forget that?"

BBC

This paragraph confirms what many have been saying all along:

Referring to Russia's invasion of Crimea before the last World Cup in 2018, former England captain Lineker added: "I felt we were sportswashed in Russia. I don't think the world stood up about what had happened in Crimea and I include ourselves in that.

The entire issue around this WC is that it is being held in the Arab world.

Not a single SJW or Liberal will concede to this point. Not. A. Single. One.

 

[James]

The pre tournament chatter from public figures, pundits and “influencers” is getting quite tiresome now imo.

I agree with Piers Morgan, it is all quite hypocritical from a western perspective.

Interested to see how fan behaviour plays out with the limited availability of alcohol. I think it’s a good call personally and it puts families first.

I go to club games in England regularly and many people don’t drink alcohol at the game to be honest, usually it’s tea/coffee/cola and a snack, so it shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment.

Personally I am looking forward to tomorrow and the start of the football viewing.

 

[Manunited18]

Yes, lets enjoy the football.

 

[Robert]

The pre tournament chatter from public figures, pundits and “influencers” is getting quite tiresome now imo.

I agree with Piers Morgan, it is all quite hypocritical from a western perspective.

Interested to see how fan behaviour plays out with the limited availability of alcohol. I think it’s a good call personally and it puts families first.

I go to club games in England regularly and many people don’t drink alcohol at the game to be honest, usually it’s tea/coffee/cola and a snack, so it shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment.

Personally I am looking forward to tomorrow and the start of the football viewing.

But, as I have said before, "the West" is not one monolithic entity. It is made up of many countries with different cultures. Those cultures are comprised in part of individuals with their own beliefs, which they are free to express. When I decry homophobia, I do not speak for "the West" - I speak for me. No Western government has criticised Qatar.

 

[Technics 1210]

Yes, lets enjoy the football.

Indeed!

These Western woke/SJWs think this WC is an airport by annoucing their departure from football.

Who cares, the West is a small fraction of a diverse planet. There are another 6 Billion humans who respect Qatari values and culture, and those who do not agree are prepared to put aside political differences.

I am so looking forward to the matches as a neutral.

Though guaranteed if England progress further, English MSM will change its tune.

West should be concentrating on Ukraine until then! )

 

[Manunited18]

Indeed!

These Western woke/SJWs think this WC is an airport by annoucing their departure from football.

Who cares, the West is a small fraction of a diverse planet. There are another 6 Billion humans who respect Qatari values and culture, and those who do not agree are prepared to put aside political differences.

I am so looking forward to the matches as a neutral.

Though guaranteed if England progress further, English MSM will change its tune.

West should be concentrating on Ukraine until then! )

Lol. Agree, the tone will die down if England start progressing deep in to the tournament.

 

[MenInG]

England and Wales are still expected to wear the OneLove captain's armband at the World Cup despite Fifa launching its own armband initiative.

Fifa announced new armbands in partnership with three United Nations agencies on the eve of the tournament.

The armbands will feature a different social campaign throughout each round.

The captains of nine countries, including England and Wales, had planned to wear the OneLove armband to promote diversity and inclusion.

The Netherlands began the OneLove campaign prior to Euro 2020 as a message against discrimination.

Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised in Qatar.

BBC Sport understands the Football Association (FA) knew nothing concrete about the new Fifa armbands before Friday night.

The quarter-finals theme of Fifa's new armband will be #NoDiscrimination.

Other themes include #SaveThePlanet, #ProtectChildren, #EducationForAll and #BeActive.

On Saturday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino accused the West of "hypocrisy" in its reporting about Qatar's human rights record.

BBC

 

[sweep_shot]

England and Wales are still expected to wear the OneLove captain's armband at the World Cup despite Fifa launching its own armband initiative.

Fifa announced new armbands in partnership with three United Nations agencies on the eve of the tournament.

The armbands will feature a different social campaign throughout each round.

The captains of nine countries, including England and Wales, had planned to wear the OneLove armband to promote diversity and inclusion.

The Netherlands began the OneLove campaign prior to Euro 2020 as a message against discrimination.

Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised in Qatar.

BBC Sport understands the Football Association (FA) knew nothing concrete about the new Fifa armbands before Friday night.

The quarter-finals theme of Fifa's new armband will be #NoDiscrimination.

Other themes include #SaveThePlanet, #ProtectChildren, #EducationForAll and #BeActive.

On Saturday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino accused the West of "hypocrisy" in its reporting about Qatar's human rights record.

BBC

I hope both Wales and England will be knocked out in group stage. They are focusing on drama more than actual football.

 

[Robert]

I hope both Wales and England will be knocked out in group stage. They are focusing on drama more than actual football.

Any every other European skipper too? And the Canadian skipper? And the Aussie skipper? And the American skipper? All will wear the rainbow armband.

 

[sweep_shot]

Let is speak with respect. [MENTION=136108]Donal Cozzie[/MENTION] isn't delusional, he is one of the smartest people on this board and I always look to his posts.

Here, he is making the point that ordinary Qataris will see some of the freedoms which Westerners enjoy, and will start to ask questions about why they can't enjoy them too.

Do you think ordinary Qataris support same-sex marriage?

 

[GLORY OF '92]

What a speech!

Hopefully that will shut up the moaners.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

"Terrible that England fans can’t get drunk in stadiums at the Qatar World Cup," he wrote sarcastically on Twitter. "Especially after how impeccably they behaved at the Euros final last year."

by Morgan. That final was disgraceful. You can be certain that won't happen in Qatar.

 

[Manunited18]

Any every other European skipper too? And the Canadian skipper? And the Aussie skipper? And the American skipper? All will wear the rainbow armband.

Full respect for the French keeper. Dont mix delusional politics with sport.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...o-lloris-rainbow-armband-france-b2225327.html

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Not every player wants to wear that stupid armband. French goalkeeper Lloris has said he wouldn't disrespect Qatari culture and wouldn't wear the armband. Check: https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.c...-wearing-one-love-armband-at-qatar-world-cup/.

Spot on not everyone wants to support moral degeneration.

England are not going to win anyway. Hopefully a nation which has solid family values wins.

 

[MenInG]

Full respect for the French keeper. Dont mix delusional politics with sport.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...o-lloris-rainbow-armband-france-b2225327.html

Add full articles here - we dont have time copy paste - thanks

 

[sweep_shot]

Spot on not everyone wants to support moral degeneration.

England are not going to win anyway. Hopefully a nation which has solid family values wins.

European countries have gotten weaker in football. Only France and Belgium are forces.

I think Brazil or Argentina should win it this time. I hope so too because they have been quite respectful toward Qatari culture. They are focusing on football instead of drama.

 

[MenInG]

Don't make any personal remarks about other posters.

 

[sweep_shot]

Any every other European skipper too? And the Canadian skipper? And the Aussie skipper? And the American skipper? All will wear the rainbow armband.

Not every player wants to wear that cringy armband. French player Lloris has said he wouldn't wear it and he wanted to respect Qatari culture.

 

[Technics 1210]

Well done on Qatar for standing your ground, the footballing world is with you, and the world is not defined by the Liberal West!

So looking forward to what will undoubtedly be one of the best WCs in history!

 

[MenInG]

Sensible from Dier:

==

World Cup 2022: England's Eric Dier says alcohol isn't needed 'to create a great atmosphere'

England's Eric Dier says alcohol isn't needed "to create a great atmosphere" after Fifa announced last-minute alcohol ban for World Cup stadiums.

Fifa changed its policy two days before the tournament kicks off in Qatar.

Alcohol was set to be served "in select areas within stadiums", despite its sale being strictly controlled in the Muslim country.

"I'd like to think you can enjoy yourself with or without alcohol," Dier said on Saturday.

"It's up to us as a team and every team in the tournament to bring great football, exciting football and that's what is going to create a great atmosphere in the stadiums."

People in corporate areas of stadiums at the tournament will still be able to purchase alcohol.

The World Cup starts on Sunday when hosts Qatar play Ecuador.

In his news conference on Saturday, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: "I think if, for three or four hours a day, you cannot drink a beer, you will survive."

Dier added: "Players and fans feed off each other and we need to be the ones to initiate that with good football.

"The football is the fundamental thing in creating that environment."

England get their campaign under way against Iran on Monday at 13:00 GMT.

BBC

 

[Markhor]

I was a football fanatic growing up as a kid, moreso than cricket. The political agendas, blatant corruption, rank hypocrisy and nation-states spending limitless sums to buy success however has made me totally disenchanted. Nobody can claim the moral high ground.

1) Everyone knows the process behind the World Cup hosting rights was riddled with corruption and bribery. Qatar has never been a major football centre, they've literally had to build the infrastructure from scratch. FIFA should've been disbanded years ago and replaced with a credible governing body.

2) Where were the moral stances from players when Arab petrostates with dismal human rights records bought their clubs ? Last time I checked Man City and Newcastle weren't owned by Scandinavian social enterprises.

They are owned by two nations who've engineered the worst humanitarian disaster in decades in Yemen. One of which dismembered a journalist in 2018. Yet clearly the allure of big money and glittering silverware were enough to buy silence.

3) Qatar's use of migrant labour has been appalling. However the gall of the European press to suddenly now champion migrant rights. They've demonised migrants and asylum seekers for decades in inflammatory terms, creating ripe conditions for far-right politics.

4) Western Govts are staunch allies of these human rights violating Gulf autocracies. UK sold £20bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since 2015. It's wrong to play football in human rights violating countries but okay to sell them weapons ?

5) There's also a geopolitical reason why Qatar is being singled out. From all the Gulf autocracies, they pursue a semi-independent foreign policy and don't blindly follow the Saudi's script. Their willingess to engage with Iran led to MBS's failed blockade. Al Jazeera has flaws but remains the best media network in the Middle East. MBS and Israel despise Al Jazeera with Israel bombing its Gaza office and killing their leading Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh whose murder remains unpunished.

 

[Manunited18]

Well done on Qatar for standing your ground, the footballing world is with you, and the world is not defined by the Liberal West!

So looking forward to what will undoubtedly be one of the best WCs in history!

Absolutely has the hallmarks of a fantastic world cup. Fantastic facilities which even the players are gobsmacked with, the stadia, the weather, the warm hearted people and the culture. Seriously, only the backwards thinking bigots will disapprove it.

 

[MenInG]

 

[sweep_shot]

Respect for Mr. Gianni.

True statement.

 

[Robert]

Full respect for the French keeper. Dont mix delusional politics with sport.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...o-lloris-rainbow-armband-france-b2225327.html

Calling things you disagree with “delusional” is a bit tired, mate. You aren’t qualified to make that determination.

 

[Robert]

Do you think ordinary Qataris support same-sex marriage?

Some of them do, I expect.

I know several gay married couples. Their lives do not impact on mine one iota. Not on yours, either.

Not every player wants to wear that cringy armband. French player Lloris has said he wouldn't wear it and he wanted to respect Qatari culture.

An evasion. Do you want all the European, North American and Australian side knocked out for supporting personal freedom?

 

[James]

Absolutely has the hallmarks of a fantastic world cup. Fantastic facilities which even the players are gobsmacked with, the stadia, the weather, the warm hearted people and the culture. Seriously, only the backwards thinking bigots will disapprove it.

Look at the hotel rooms

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So fresh ‘n so clean. Ready to rep the three lions <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fifaworldcup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fifaworldcup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/createdwithadidas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#createdwithadidas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adidasfootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adidasfootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/mFnuYOePz3">pic.twitter.com/mFnuYOePz3</a></p>— Kalvin Phillips (@Kalvinphillips) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kalvinphillips/status/1593915309873926144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Technics 1210]

Yet Liberals are qualified to label others who do not agree with Liberalism - backwards, uneducated, unhinged, immoral, and unintelligent.

Dear oh dear, when will this daylight hypocrisy end.

Qatar WC is a win for the world, and a loss for Liberalism!

Hooray!

 

[sweep_shot]

Calling things you disagree with “delusional” is a bit tired, mate. You aren’t qualified to make that determination.

Why is he not qualified? What qualification is missing?

 

[Technics 1210]

The burns! Western liberals must be fuming in anger! No one will dare challenge bis statement, no one.

Credit to this man, this is all the world asks for from the West, a balanced and responsible view!

No doubt his speech will be the talking point for the next few days!

Love it!

 

[sweep_shot]

Some of them do, I expect.

I know several gay married couples. Their lives do not impact on mine one iota. Not on yours, either.

This is Qatar we are talking about. How many Qatari gay married couples do you know?

I doubt there is any major support for same-sex marriage among ordinary Qatari people. Not just Qatar but entire Asia possibly.

 

[James]

Let’s be honest, these discussions are a bit circular and facile. Same sex marriage or even civil partnership is not going to be legalised in Qatar any time soon.

To be clear, I disagree with this personally. But it’s not my country, or even my continent.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Absolutely has the hallmarks of a fantastic world cup. Fantastic facilities which even the players are gobsmacked with, the stadia, the weather, the warm hearted people and the culture. Seriously, only the backwards thinking bigots will disapprove it.

And to add that some stadiums will be entirely dismantled and shipped to African countries.

Sadly the majority of Football fans represent the absolute dregs of society. They are happy being able to drink in public and urinating in streets. Cheap kebab and sleeping in bus stops represents a brilliant time.

 

[Manunited18]

Calling things you disagree with “delusional” is a bit tired, mate. You aren’t qualified to make that determination.

And you are?