Qatar deserves a ‘Golden Boot’ award for hosting the FIFA World Cup in a clinical manner
Follow Us
2022 FIFA World Cup - Qatar
Controversies in sports are essential, on and off the field of play. As the dust and sand settle on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a recall of some incidents is a must. Call it skepticism or pessimism, the Western World always wanted this football extravaganza to be run down. Negative coverage emanated from the start. It continued, peaked, then flattened out. On Saturday, the third-place match between Morocco and Croatia will still be viewed and the finale featuring Argentina and France will be mind-blowing.
For sheer architectural excellence, the stadia in Qatar were defining. The World Cup was moved to November, and that was seen as an aberration. Or so, the world thought. After all these matches, we have not heard of players complaining that conditions were unplayable. The temperature was controlled and on television, you hardly got to know if there was something unnatural about it.
The big, fat budget which Qatar splurged, around $ 220 billion, is something the Western world could never come to terms with. Was it an ugly show of wealth? Qatar was rocking with tourists the venues were packed to the rafters, they did good business and the Doha airport was buzzing. Yes, match ticket prices were high but that is the premium one pays for viewing great football.
When the Budweiser ban came into effect, at the last minute, larger louts were belching. Imagine, how much money fans have saved by not drinking Budweiser! It’s like saying, hey, alcoholics, or louts, football can still be enjoyed without the froth. After the violence in the last Euro, when England lost and there was hooliganism, it showed the Brits in poor light. They did drink beer in pubs in Britain and still managed not to go mad after their national side was knocked out. Who knows, FIFA may well say beer is now not needed near football venues in the future.
One Love armband. Boy, what a racket the LGBTQ guys kicked up. All because they were told to not display the armbands and signs of various hues. There are rules and regulations in Qatar, a Muslim country where Sharia laws are in force. They did not go check each room on what was going on, all they asked for was that One Love not be made a public display. Sexual preferences are personal and if the Arab world has a certain philosophy, it has to be followed. Germany did a stunt by covering their mouths in protest before the match. On the field, they were stripped, literally, and then flew back after flopping. Some more teams tried the One Love armband and were disarmed. Some journos, too, wanted to show off their armbands and were banned. Was there a lathi charge or something like that to handle those wanting to create trouble? No, they were ticked off.
Related: 2022 FIFA World Cup Final Argentina v France: All you need to know about the price of tickets
Despite controversies, Qatar did a fabulous job hosting the FIFA World Cup
People thought Qatar was a bad place and women had to come in hijabs and burkhas. Hey, did we not watch that Croatian in red and white flaunt her assets? She was out to attract attention and did it. She had her moments under the sun and was happy to become a bigger Instagram star. Qatar never told her to come wearing clothes in full. The best part was that Arab women were there to cheer, with headscarves, and so on. Watching the Morocco moms was so defining and beautiful. They stepped on the field and hugged their sons. Has the world seen such beautiful images before often? No.
Iran was a big topic, no doubt. What is happening back home is crazy and women and girls are now revolting. Protest from the Iran team, symbolically, when they did not sing the national anthem was bold, daring, and dangerous. By the second match, they were back in order. Iran continues to be in turmoil and its society will keep fighting against the fundamentalist regime headed by Ayatollah Khameini. That’s something that only Iran can deal with. Nobody else.
Better technology is being used and a sensor in the Adidas football came into focus. Sample this, the football was beaming 500 images per second and it helped in detecting off-side so well. It even created a brouhaha when one goal of Portugal, allegedly scored by CR7 — aka Cristiano Ronaldo was not awarded to him. CR7 was celebrating in his imitable style, before the giant screens kind of told him, “Chill Dude, wasn’t your goal.”
Lastly, the world blamed FIFA saying it was corrupt and had done deals with the Qatar organizers. FIFA was always a business house plus football head. They are not here to run charity and will feel happy a good World Cup has been delivered. There was resentment when Japan and South Korea hosted it in 2002. When South Africa hosted it in 2010 and Shakira shook the stage — Waka Waka — and Gerard Pique also came into focus, which was also hated by the Western World.
Also Read: How many FIFA World Cup Finals have Argentina and France played?
Bottom line: Football is spreading its wings. More new countries are turning hosts. The 2030 FIFA World Cup could be held in Saudi Arabia. Sounds crazy? Just wait. Just as the IPL changed the face of the cricketing world, FIFA will continue to do things that are going to result in a revolution. We must thank Qatar for this great show. It was clinical and the fan turnout was fabulous. Compared to Europe and Russia, Qatar was not cheap, say fans who flew there. All the same, they said in unison, this never felt like a desert hosting such a blue riband event. Congrats Qatar.
Stay Updated!
S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)