World Cup 2022 - Qatar

[Mystik]

Obviously it is way too early to be talking about a world cup that is 9 years away but I feel that we just had to have a topic about it for a number of reasons. After Dev posted a beyondthepitch podcast a couple weeks ago, I decided that I would listen to their podcasts more frequently and have heard some very disturbing things regarding this Qatar world cup.

Firstly, according to what I've been hearing, there's a French professional player who hasn't been able to leave the country for years because he can't acquire an exit visa.....? WTF is that about?

Secondly, the health and safety standards for the construction workers are apparently deplorable with workers putting in long shifts in the hot summer sun with little compensation....?

I won't even touch on the whispers of corruption regarding the awarding of the bid and how a winter world cup will be a mega inconvenience to all the domestic leagues.

Can anyone who is better informed comment on what they know regarding all the drama surrounding this Qater 2022 world cup?

[ACMILAN1983]

I honestly don't know much about the Qatar World Cup, but at the very least it seems shady. I would also be interested in hearing people's comments. On a similar note, could you post the link the the BTP podcast?

Speaking of Beyond The Pitch, I just want to say Warro should be credited with introducing it to the forum, I started listening after he posted a link over a year ago.

[Ceceves]

Obviously it is way too early to be talking about a world cup that is 9 years away but I feel that we just had to have a topic about it for a number of reasons. After Dev posted a beyondthepitch podcast a couple weeks ago, I decided that I would listen to their podcasts more frequently and have heard some very disturbing things regarding this Qatar world cup.

Firstly, according to what I've been hearing, there's a French professional player who hasn't been able to leave the country for years because he can't acquire an exit visa.....? WTF is that about?

Secondly, the health and safety standards for the construction workers are apparently deplorable with workers putting in long shifts in the hot summer sun with little compensation....?

I won't even touch on the whispers of corruption regarding the awarding of the bid and how a winter world cup will be a mega inconvenience to all the domestic leagues.

Can anyone who is better informed comment on what they know regarding all the drama surrounding this Qater 2022 world cup?

I'm not an expert on Qatar to say the least, but all the fuss about the world cup has certainly highlighted some disturbing things about that country.

It has been estimated that several thousands of workers will die during the construction of venues etc. for the tournament. Most of these are South Asians who live and work under slave-like conditions, i.e. no (or little) pay, no freedom (many have their passports/papers removed by employers) so as to keep them from leaving again.

See for instance this article from the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/se...cup-slaves

In comparison that footballer you mentioned, Zahir Belounis is his name, almost seems fortunate - even though his situation is of course disgraceful. Link: http://www.euronews.com/2013/11/14/despe...-in-qatar/

As for the corruption involved in getting the world cup to Qatar, it's not even shocking, it's just how organizations like FIFA (and the IOC who award the Olympics are the same) work. Many Fifa members don't even seem ashamed to admit that they voted for selfish reasons or political ones. It seems Platini's son works for some company owned by the Qatari government, for instance. And who did Papa Michel vote for?

[Mystik]

Here's one where they interview the brother of the French player who I mentioned earlier:

http://www.beyondthepitch.net/podcasts/e...-belounis/

Here's another talking about the working conditions: http://www.beyondthepitch.net/podcasts/e...-mcgeehan/

Another one: http://www.beyondthepitch.net/podcasts/e...-football/

I've only just started listening to them and Qater seems to be coming up more and more. If you go into their archives I'm sure you can find plenty more as well.

[ACMILAN1983]

Thanks for all the links and articles guys, I've just managed to get through them and must say it didn't just open my eyes but left me rather speechless that this stuff goes on (I'm not naive in believing people aren't being persecuted, just not to this level). I sympathise with the player and genuinely hope he gets home, but I must say the story about the working conditions for immigrants left me rather upset.

Dress it up as they might as a business agreement, this is slavery in every sense. No freedom, no rights, not even the basic needs to survive. I would be lying if I didn't say it also left a bigger impression on me knowing these are people mostly from South Asia, being of South Asian origin myself, but any form of slavery is just horrid.

Do people know of groups to campaign against all this? I mean specifically against the World Cup, but also general groups would be of interest, as reading up a little about this, obviously this isn't just related to football. This is clearly a complex issue, but as it stands the situation these people face is just disgusting.

It doesn't surprise me that people (i.e. FIFA) will turn a blind eye to this, but it always surprises me people can consciously do what they do knowing how this will affect so many lives poorly.

[angel10]

very good post........

[ACMILAN1983]

If you're referring to me, then thanks. Interesting to note not much has changed since I posted that 11 months ago.

[Mystik]

So are they still going on with the world cup in Qatar? Stadia being built, etc?

[reza]

I would say it's still happening and will happen.

[ACM2023]

World Cup 2022: Qatar matches could start at 1am, says official

By Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

Qatar World Cup games could finish as late as 3:30am under one proposal made by a senior football official.

Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who is considering challenging Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency, said the event could still be staged in the summer.

But the ex-Chilean football chief said some games would have to start as late as 1am to avoid the worst of the heat.

"You could play the first games at 7pm, the second games at 10pm and the third matches at 1am," he told BBC Sport.

It is expected that the Qatar World Cup will be moved to winter in 2022 to avoid searing temperatures, with a November/December tournament currently being looked at by world football's governing body.

But Mayne-Nicholls said such a solution would be "chaotic" to most major leagues around the world.

Qatar was controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup by Fifa's executive committee in 2010.

Mayne-Nicholls had expressed serious concerns about conditions in the Gulf state, when he led Fifa's technical commission which assessed each bid for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Now he has come up with a novel solution to one of the biggest dilemmas the sport has ever faced.

"You'd change everything. It would be a couple of hours behind in Europe, and that would help TV," he added.

Blatter has suggested a switch to November/December 2022 is almost inevitable, although another possibility is to stage the tournament in January and February.
But Mayne-Nicholls said that would also mean a clash with European football leagues, as well as the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl in the United States, and that a slightly earlier summer tournament should be considered.

"You could move it towards May, until the middle of June", he said.

"The weather would still be very warm at night, but the sun is not there and that could help.

"I know it's not easy. We'd sleep during the day and work during the night.

"It's only an idea. You'd have to investigate a little bit more.

"I have never played in Qatar in May. Let's organise a youth tournament, invite countries from all the confederations, and let's use this time to see if it works.

"Then we can investigate and have conclusions, but we cannot keep talking about Qatar from Zurich, we have to check it. And if this is not a solution then we have to find another one."

A taskforce set up by Fifa to decide on the best date for the 2022 World Cup features a variety of stakeholders including clubs, leagues and player representatives, and will meet again in November before a final decision next year.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Federation, is heading up the taskforce alongside Fifa secretary-general Jerome Valcke.

Mayne-Nicholls is the latest official to say he would like the report by former US attorney Michael Garcia into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments to be published.

He has until late January to submit his candidacy for the Fifa election in May. Blatter is seeking a fifth four-year term as president, with another former Fifa official - Jerome Champagne - the only other declared candidate.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29697271