Sepp Blatter, the head honcho of FIFA recently told the press, that it was a mistake to award and give the World Cup of Football to Qatar in 2022(Gibson, 2014). The saga continues to spark unwanted events.
A few days before there were reports of deaths of workers, usually foreign construction workers who work on the new stadiums in the heat of Qatar. The report from Bloomberg, said that 8 workers had lost their lives during the last 30 days. This is alarming and worrying (Boundway, 2014). If this was sad enough news E: 60 reports that 184 Nepali workers have lost their lives in the past year. In 2013 India reported that of their emigrants had the striking numbers of 450 during that year, alone (Boundway, 2014). This extremely high numbers and should be a concern for FIFA and the government of Qatar.
2 days ago new fresh reports and allegations. This is on the important matter on: “how the deal was struck” and then they got the World Cup in 2022. Not that’s this is the first time corruption into assigning and voting for the venues place has come to light. Therefore when BBC’s David Bond told: “of £3m payments to various football officials” all over the African continent for the bid (Bond, 2014). It wasn’t like snowing in the summer, more like rain in the fall. We expected it to be told and now it’s found!
With these allegation it’s was about time that the FIFA executive Issa Hayatou called them “ridiculous” and “fanciful”. The African federation answered that Hayatou never gotten gifts or trips for the vote. Another African football leader also accused and later disbanded from charge the Nigerian Amos Amadou after corruption scandals (Imray, 2014). The Qatar Organizing Committee says to this: “always upheld the highest standards of ethics and integrity in its successful bid”(…)“The right to host the tournament was won because it was the best bid and because it is time for the Middle East to host its first FIFA World Cup”(Kagel, 2014).
So with these new allegations and bad press. We can wonder how much more of this must happen before its weight is too heavy to carry for the governing body of Football. The FIFA has already enough issues with the current World Cup in Brazil. Which the own population has strike against on several occasions, even in the country where all the favelas has kids who has a fun time playing the magical game. Not so much power play of joy anymore! The momentum of the occasion might change the feeling, but for now – it’s not like it should be.. We all know what I mean!
Wonder if we will have fun seeing the game played in the heat of dessert land of Qatar. Qatar games are surely bloody red and also by everybodies reckoning it’s a bit tainted by the paying of votes. There has been issues before inside FIFA which has led to Jack Warner’s downfall from the throne of Caribbean football and leave the role of being the Trinidad and Tobago’s FIFA executive. So I wonder, what happens next in the governing body of FIFA? But I doubt much. Well since the a lot of monies is at stake! It all looks better if it stays the same! There I said it: For FIFA if it all stay the same, the money keep pumping in and the executive get their cut. Then we’re just supposed to show a blind eye and then smile while watching the matches on TV. Will you do that or would you speak your mind to?
Links:
Bond, David, BBC, (31.05.2014): Qatar World Cup: ‘£3m payments to officials’ corruption claim: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27652181
Boundway, Ira, BloombergBusinessweeek (14.05.2014): http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-14/the-2022-fifa-world-cup-could-be-deadly-for-qatars-migrant-workers
Gibson, Owen, theGuardian.co.uk (16.05.2014): http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/16/sepp-blatter-qatar-2022-world-cup-mistake
Imray, Gerald, AP-Lillooet News (02.06.2014): http://www.lillooetnews.net/sports/world/fifa-vice-president-denies-receiving-favours-for-voting-for-qatar-to-hold-2022-world-cup-1.1100860
Kagel, Jenna, Policymic.com (01.06.2014 – A New Corruption Scandal Could Put Qatar’s 2022 World Cup in Jeopardy: http://www.policymic.com/articles/90283/fifa-corruption-scandal-could-put-qatar-s-2022-world-cup-in-jeopardy
MinBane 