The most popular sports event on Earth, the FIFA World Cup, has been subject to numerous controversies in recent times. Some believe that this tournament, organized once each four years, despite being a sports event, also has political endeavors. From the mysterious opening game of the 2010 version, to the shambolic refereeing of World Cup 2014, the 2022 version has been under the spotlight for quite some time now. For most people on the globe, it was a shock to see Qatar get the green light to organize the World Cup, doubting the integrity of the bidding process, as well as the nation's eligiblity to host this prestigious 32-country worldwide event. This case has triggered noticeable criticism from the media and sports experts, given that Qatar's football history is insufficient, compared to the rest of the candidates. Other reasons include the climate, and the expectedly high ticket cost, additional to the country's human rights background. It's also fair to mention allegations of bribery between Qatar's representatives and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (known as FIFA) members.
The climate, highlighted as the biggest issue that would occur during the tournament, is considered to be unsuitable for a sports event of this nature. The main reason being that it would affect drastically and negatively the players' performances during the matches, because it will definitely cause them to reach a low energy level quickly, not allowing them to continue in a smooth manner. In order to assess this problem accordingly, Mr. Hassan Al-Thawadi, the nation's bid chief executive, denied that the heat would interfere with the course of the World Cup, stating that his country has taken several measures to ensure that both the players and the spectators are not bothered with the climate, notably equipping the stadiums with modern technology to convert solar energy to electricity, in order to provide a cool environment. As for the FIFA, this latter proposed to shift the 2022 World Cup towards the winter season, receiving more criticism from sporting bodies such as the FA, England's football governing body. Critics argued that it could clash with the Winter Olympics, scheduled the same year, while others claimed it would interrupt the Christmas season, due to the fact that most footballers to participate in the World Cup follow Christianism. The Premier League expressed their concern as they believe that it could also obstruct major football leagues such as La Liga and the Bundesliga, additional to minor complaints from the Australian football federation.
With Qatar's relatively unknown status in football, this drew a lot of criticism especially with the fact that the country's national team has never qualified for the World Cup before winning the bid. The biggest honour that they managed to receive being the Gulf Cup of Nations accolade, twice, in which Qatar was the host. Football, not belonging to Qatar's national culture as a sport, has also drawn more controversy regarding the suitability of the host. Alcohol consumption during the tournament was also a raised concern, considering the religion of the country. Al-Thawadi also stated that it would be allowed to acquire alcohol in certain zones only, with public consumption disallowed.
The climate, highlighted as the biggest issue that would occur during the tournament, is considered to be unsuitable for a sports event of this nature. The main reason being that it would affect drastically and negatively the players' performances during the matches, because it will definitely cause them to reach a low energy level quickly, not allowing them to continue in a smooth manner. In order to assess this problem accordingly, Mr. Hassan Al-Thawadi, the nation's bid chief executive, denied that the heat would interfere with the course of the World Cup, stating that his country has taken several measures to ensure that both the players and the spectators are not bothered with the climate, notably equipping the stadiums with modern technology to convert solar energy to electricity, in order to provide a cool environment. As for the FIFA, this latter proposed to shift the 2022 World Cup towards the winter season, receiving more criticism from sporting bodies such as the FA, England's football governing body. Critics argued that it could clash with the Winter Olympics, scheduled the same year, while others claimed it would interrupt the Christmas season, due to the fact that most footballers to participate in the World Cup follow Christianism. The Premier League expressed their concern as they believe that it could also obstruct major football leagues such as La Liga and the Bundesliga, additional to minor complaints from the Australian football federation.
With Qatar's relatively unknown status in football, this drew a lot of criticism especially with the fact that the country's national team has never qualified for the World Cup before winning the bid. The biggest honour that they managed to receive being the Gulf Cup of Nations accolade, twice, in which Qatar was the host. Football, not belonging to Qatar's national culture as a sport, has also drawn more controversy regarding the suitability of the host. Alcohol consumption during the tournament was also a raised concern, considering the religion of the country. Al-Thawadi also stated that it would be allowed to acquire alcohol in certain zones only, with public consumption disallowed.
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