Media Coverage of the World Cup

It is safe to say that Qatar was faced with a bombardment of criticism and hatred from the British media before and during the tournament. Barney Ronay, editor for the Guardian, labelled it as ‘FIFA choosing death and suffering’ and that it was ‘inevitable collateral for the project’ This was clearly supported by the Amnesty International Report 2021, it states that Qatar ‘enabled abusive practices to resurface’ and that despite a minimum wage being introduced, migrant workers ‘continued to fall victim to wage theft ’

Unlike ITV, the BBC refused to show the opening and closing ceremonies of WC in an attempt to make their viewpoint clear Another criticism of Qatar was its stance on LGBTQ+ rights Despite the country giving anyone in a same sex relationship a potential imprisonment of 7 years, FIFA president Gianni Infantino (who I will discuss later in more detail) and many other heads of state, said that ‘ everyone is welcome in Qatar.’ Regardless of the reassurance from Infantino and others, many felt that the laws were completely unjust and protested against these laws during and at the tournament

Though many believe that protesting against treatment of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar was necessary, I believe that it was completely disrespectful and totally inappropriate towards the nation. Most British citizens would expect any foreign travellers to come to the UK and respect British customs So why is it any different in Qatar? In addition to this, I believe that during the WC, Islamophobia was rife in the media The Economist stating rightfully that Qatar may not be perfect but it is not a ‘despicable despot’ like countries such as Russia and China

The Olympics didn’t ‘make China more democratic’ and Qatar is a ‘far cry from Russia’ where you can get sent to prison for even mentioning the tyranny in Ukraine as a war So why allow countries like Russia and China, who have benefited from sportswashing, go without criticism–but rain hell down on Qatar? The Western criticism of the hosting of the competition in Qatar demonstrates prejudice towards Muslim societies Why should a ‘World Cup’ not be hosted around the world? Why should it be confined to a place which is defined as morally correct by the West?

As stated by SOAS University of London the media portrayed a ‘centrism of the Western perspective’ Noticeably, in the media there was little to no Qatari voices to defend the culture and when they did, they were belittled and faced with heavy criticism when doing so. Many fans called for the boycotting of the tournament due to the regime of Qatar As countries tried to perform acts of solidarity, 7 European teams set to wear the ‘One Love’ arm band retracted and Alex Scott who did wear the ‘One Love’ armband clearly showed ‘performative activism’ whilst Qatari voices, including queer ones, were shunned, and seen as biased

Fan experiences

Paul MacInnes, editor of the Telegraph, stated that if you went to Qatar and interviewed fans ‘nobody has a bad word to say ’ about the country The ‘transport is great,’ the ‘city is safe’ and of course the football itself was scintillating However, there were obvious flaws in the fan experience There were reports of floodings in accommodations and unsanitary, disgusting brown water flowing through the tap Many fans were given refunds after the accommodation that was promised to be built by the tournament had let them down Moving away from accommodation, Welsh fans also had to get the FA (Football Association) to step in and complain to FIFA after hats with rainbow stripes were confiscated by security Despite the activities to do in Qatar being scarce according to some fans, during the night the city lit up as many festivals and chants broke loose on the streets Argentinian fans primarily, along with other teams such as: Brazil and Southern Asian fans, would take it turns to begin banging drums and sing chants to enhance the mood of the whole city of Doha However, most controversially of all the thing that really affected fans was, the ban on alcohol

Rightly or wrongly many fans would consider a ‘pint’ an essential experience of watching a football match, especially in countries like Britain where it is integrated into the culture. During the preparation of the WC, Budweiser agreed to pay Qatar over $5 million, allowing them to advertise and sell their beer in Qatar However, on 18th November, just days before the WC began, FIFA and Qatar went back on their deal, forcing Budweiser to stop advertising and selling their beer Despite being paid $75 million in compensation, the damage was irreparable This caused outrage among many fans as they were promised by the state and FIFA to have fan zones to enjoy a ‘cold one ’ However, Budweiser found a brilliant solution to the dilemma they faced With the surplus supply they had their beer turned into lemonade, labelling the product ‘Budweiser Zero ’ The drink had little to no alcohol in the drink which allowed them to sell the product in Qatar To reconcile, and out of goodwill, Budweiser repaid the $75 million back to FIFA and Qatar.

The Football

I think anyone who watched the WC last year would agree it was astonishing, especially the final match between, Argentina and France. ‘Messi and Ronaldo’s last chance’ and who can win the ‘G O A T (greatest of all time) debate ’ More excitement - Germany and Belgium’s early exits, Morocco’s magnificent run to the semi-final, English penalty despair and to put the cherry on top - Messi winning the WC The final will go down as one, if not the greatest, football match of all time ending 3-3 between France and Argentina inevitably comes with the Middle East is a limitless supply of money, which has heavily inflated football players prices In 2011 QSI (Qatar Sports Investments) purchased PSG (Paris-Saint-Germain), Nasser-Al-Khelafi as the representative. Since his appointment as club president he has set the world record transfer fee of £198 million and a record contract in European football for star player Kylian Mbappe as he sets to earn £1 3 million a week With Qatari interest in the current sale of Manchester United it seems as if Sovereign state money is taking over football Will supporters turn a blind eye?

However, did the fans enjoy the ‘Budweiser Zero’ or was it just another terrible substitute Lee O’ Hare an Irish fan said that it was just a ‘watered down version of beer’ and David Allen, Australian, stated that he ‘couldn’t have more than one ’ Most damning of all, Marty Brazeau, a teacher from Seattle believed he’s ‘not sure he would’ve come ’ if he had more notice on the banning of alcohol These statements without a doubt show the importance surrounding alcohol within footballing culture The ban on alcohol during the WC massively impacted the experience for the fans.

Was this the greatest sportswashing heist ever? Many would disagree but some say that the referees were very favourable towards Argentina… Messi’s Argentina. To even suggest there was corruption involved would be outrageous and probably false but did Messi’s fairy-tale WC already have a script? Whether there was corruption or not it certainly distracted from the Qatari regime I almost completely forgot that it was being hosted in Qatar and merely just enjoyed the incredible football on display. With the Qatar WC now being remembered as arguably having the greatest final of all time, will their horrendous humans rights record be swiftly forgotten?

Qatar, as well as other nations, see the value of sportswashing - for it is only the beginning In other sports such as: F1, Qatar will feature on the F1 calendar and in golf Saudi Arabia have begun ‘Golf Saudi’ where Tiger Woods was reportedly offered $700-800 million to join the competition This has spread to football ownership It’s safe to say that the Middle East is beginning to take over sports whether you like it or not Something that

Gianni Infantino

On 21st December 2015 Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA President, was fired from FIFA after many allegations of corruption A few months later on 26th February 2016 Gianni Infantino was elected to be the first Italian FIFA President In October 2019, using his influence Infantino encouraged Iran to allow women to attend football matches, which was a huge step for women ’ s rights in that country. However, he is not always so respectable

Within months of his appointment, on July 2016 he already broke a FIFA code by illegitimately spending money from FIFA’s budget He was found to have purchased a mattress, tuxedo, flowers, an exercise machine, a maid, and a chauffeur for his family all under FIFA’s business accounts He also accepted ‘special treatment’ from

WC hosts Russia and Qatar, being flown out on private jets free of charge The writing is on the wall and it’s clear to see there were some forms of corruption involved between these WC’s. Furthermore, when questioned about migrant workers’ rights he replied with ‘they are given work and pay and are proud to contribute’ which the Amnesty International Report 2021 heavily disagrees with Worst of all, days before the WC began, he hosted a press conference and to one question he summoned the most crass reply He stated that he felt ‘Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled and a migrant worker.’ This response faced heavy criticism for his completely insensitive response to the situation facing these groups He then went on to call Western countries a ‘hypocrisy’ and for what we have been doing for ‘the last 3000 years we should be apologising for the next 3000 years ’ Norwegian manager, Stale

Solbakken countered by saying that Infantino is ‘not fit to teach anyone about morals and ethics ’ It is my suspicion that since Gianni Infantino’s appointment there has been little to no improvements and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Does sportwashing work?

It is my opinion sportswashing absolutely works and is an effective distraction for the states involved masking corruption and poor human rights.

As an avid football fan, I was so absorbed in the action and greatness of the WC I completely forgot about the terrible regime and the points of criticism I raised in the essay I wrote back in 2019

Personally I am fully backing and supporting the takeover of Qatari investor Sheik al Thani of Manchester United Also, I find it incredibly distasteful the superiority shown by the West over Middle Eastern territories throughout the WC in the media. Sports have the ability to make everyone forget and unite as one to enjoy the game we all love However, in the background someone may being using it for something much more sinister