Controversy in Qatar!
When a lot of people might disagree with something, the situation can be described as being controversial.
The decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is controversial because lots of people say that the country should not be allowed to because of its bad human rights record. For example, Qatar has strict laws against the LGBTQ community, journalists have been jailed for speaking out against the government and, in the build up to the tournament, workers have been treated badly.
Others have said that Qatar isn’t the right host country for the World Cup because it’s also very hot, which means the whole event had to be moved from the summer to the winter, when the temperatures are more manageable.
However, despite calls for FIFA to change its mind about Qatar hosting, the World Cup is going ahead. The governing body argues that Qatar won the chance to host in a FIFA election and that it's good for a new country to host - especially as this is the first Middle Eastern country to host a World Cup ever.
Some people have also said that an event in the country would draw attention to human-rights abuses, and therefore encourage the government to change its ways. In fact, the pressure of the event has already caused Qatar to change some of its labour laws - for example, by bringing in a minimum wage and letting workers switch employers without permission. Critics say these changes are not enough, but without the World Cup, it's unlikely any changes would have been made at this stage.
Over to you!
- What do you think about this controversy? Why?
- Should any country be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup? Why or why not?
- What could people or teams do if they disagree with where an event is hosted?
Challenge question: Qatar is not the first example of a host country being criticised - for example, many people were unhappy that China was chosen to host the Olympics earlier this year. Is this situation with Qatar different to the other times? If so, how?
When you’ve written your comment, make sure you stop to read what other Topical Talkers have said. Reply to their comments using the thumbs up, thumbs down and question mark icons.
Comments (105)
I agree because... I see that the State of Qatar is not suitable and qualified to receive fans and players, I think that traveling to the Middle East is not safe in November and Qatar is not the appropriate host country for the World Cup because it is also very hot, which may make it difficult for football players.
What can people or teams do if they disagree with where to host an event?
They would sit and watch it at home and watch the World Cup, because they didn't feel it was safe to go."
I joined a discussion on the topic of the World Cup. I answered the * Cooper dolphin * from * the school and the country * and he objected to the World Cup being in Qatar. They made me think differently because Qatar emphasizes the capabilities and modern technology that facilitates the pain of the players, and the problem of those watching the match on TV may be that the ticket to enter the stadium is very expensive, and I think that it is possible that the World Cup will be in Qatar to facilitate travel for fans from other countries East Asia .
I disagree because... the country is way to hot and will give a disadvantage for football players to play their game and the people who built the luxurious hotels for people who wanted to watch the match get treated poorly and stay in poor hotels.
Hi Excellent Penguin - Could you explain what you mean when you say that football players will be at a disadvantage due to the heat? If all footballers are playing in the same temperature/conditions, is there still an issue?
I agree with you that Qatar is a very hot country, but we are in the month of November and it is not very hot, except that the stadiums are equipped with the latest technology and are equipped with air conditioners, so this will not affect the players, just as Qatar is the first country in the Middle East to host the World Cup and it will surprise the world
Also when Qatar has set strict laws because of its culture and religion, and everyone should respect that
There is a beautiful saying, which is (do not judge the book by its cover), so do not judge Qatar until after the World Cup is over, and we will see what it presented in this most important event in sports, and whether the choice was correct or not, when FIFA chose Qatar for the World Cup
Thanks for your reply, I agree with you on what you said!
Hi Cooperative_dolphin, I agree, it is so hot for the athletes!
Why do you think travelling to the Middle East is not safe in November specifically?
After making my researches, Qatar used over 200 billion dollars to prepare the World Cup stadiums which is an unbelievable number that the nation could used to do any other useful things for the country, keeping in mind that the proceeds that Qatar is going to take from this World Cup is only 2.2 billion dollars so in other words it's going to have an crazy lose. Other thing you should know about is that more than 6500 worker died while preparing the stadiums due to the state neglection of their rights and protection so in few days we are going to play and have fun on a land that was built by corpses of workers who didn't get the rights of protection the nation should've gave them. Continuing my point, The World Cup that was made in 2010 in Africa was spent on it only 3 Bellion dollars keeping in mind that Africa doesn't have Infrastructure and got a direct benefit to their national economy which was 0.4% that was translated to 38 billion dollars that year. So the question now is, Is thier any benefits from the complete disaster that Qatar is welcoming right now?
I was never interested in the World Cup event
But after I saw that the State of Qatar has a strategic goal, which is to introduce the world to Arab and Islamic culture through this event... and to impose respect for its culture as Arabs respect Western culture, it became imperative for us to support Qatar and its efforts and its lofty stance, but I blame Qatar for only one thing, which is the exaggerated cost Very, very, very, and to rectify this thing, I hope that part of the financial return of the World Cup will go in favor of the poor countries and the famines spread in this world, so that we may bridge one of the many crises. A little is better than nothing
Whilst I agree that there is a plethora of major disadvantages to Qatar holding the world cup, and am against it myself, there are still advantages that have come out of it. As it is the first world cup to take place in winter, its presence has meant that it is a more prestigious event than some other events, potentially meaning that there is more media coverage surrounding it. As well as this, a lot of the workers' rights in the area have had increased labour rules and regulations which have added a minimum wage, therefore despite the deaths which agreed is unacceptable, it is clear they are making an attempt to increase the quality of life for their workers. Furthermore, to accommodate for the fans travelling around the country, there has been major improvements in public transport systems. So on that front, yes, yes there is benefits to Qatar and its citizens by hosting the world cup. A common hope is that there will be more rule changes in order to increase quality of life for LGBTQ+ people, however since this is a religious belief they have as far as im aware so that is unlikely to change in the short term
I agree with you completely. Like they say, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. This event may perhaps bring some good change in the livelihood of the people, working conditions of the migrant workers, as all this has attracted the Globe's attention.
You make some interesting points but have you considered that Qatar might be hosting the World Cup for something less measurable than by the numbers profit? I agree that $300 billion is a obscene amount of money to invest and the little profit to be made as well as the unacceptable loss of human life does not make the investment any more attractive. However, Qatar might argue that hosting the World Cup brings them onto the international stage as a country that's more than wealthy due to its oil reserves but is progressive and innovative and capable of hosting global events despite its small geographical size.
I agree with you my friend, the investment on infrastructure building can bear fruit only if tourism even after FIFA is promoted in a big way. For this to happen, at least for tourist, there should be some relaxation in laws. Otherwise, it may not attract people to visit the country.
Hi Remarkable_philosophy,
I agree, so much money is spent on these events!
Any ideas on where this money could have been spent instead?
Despite that I agree with your statement and the money invested to build and prepare the stadium could've been used for other more important developments in Qatar and the government should've taken safety measures into precaution as those 65000 workers could've been protected or ensured protection while constructing. However, from a financial point of view which also links to the improvement of Qatar's citizens, I think such a big event, especially of the World Cup would provide many opportunities for the workers, due to an increase in tourism, this would lead to development in urbanisation in order to attempt and meet the tourist's expectations and will open new jobs and therefore less underpaid workers as more people will be investing into businesses.
I do not agree to host the World Cup in Qatar because of Qatar's violation of human rights and that it is not one of the top 10 countries in the world, the temperature of the weather is high and it does not have a global sports façade.
I think that Germany should host the World Cup because it won 4 tournaments in the World Cup and is one of the top 10 countries in the world and it is the only country in the world to win the World Cup for women and men and that its stadiums are large
Thank you very much, some people think Qatar World Cup can actually highlight this issue and encourage people to think more and focus on human rights globally, do you think this is kind of a progress to raise awareness?
Yes, this has a big role in raising awareness, as many people do not know about human rights issues, but after Qatar hosted the World Cup, human rights issues became a focus of attention for people, which led to increasing people's awareness towards human rights issues
Hi Storytelling_Cherry - Germany has hosted the World Cup but it was back in 2006. Would it be fair for Germany to host each World Cup? Do you think Germany would want to host all World Cups?
I don't think it's fair that Germany hosts all the World Cup finals, so other countries have the right to host the World Cup, and because each country has different laws, cultures and traditions, this leads to informing people about other traditions and cultures, and also the host countries benefit from hosting the World Cup because of the increase in the country's economy and the increase in tourism in the country
Thank you for your comment which is very good! Do you think that smaller countries can pool their resources to hold such a tournament? For example, if it were held in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam together? Otherwise, do you think there is a risk that such amazing events are only ever held in the biggest and richest countries?
I think that this is a very great idea because it achieves cooperation between countries and gives small countries their rights to host the World Cup, I think that not only rich countries have the right to host the World Cup, but also the right of small countries to host the World Cup because it will lead to the revival of the economy in the country which leads to the progress of small countries
Firstly, just because a nation has won the world cup doesn't instantly mean that the world cup should be hosted there. Secondly, whoever hosts it comes down to chance not choice. Thirdly, it is not down to the size of the stadiums that a world cup is hosted there. Finally, would you prefer that the world cup is hosted in all of the big countries or some of the smaller ones to boost their economies and bring recognition to the countries, the mix of culture in the area that the cup is held in adds a flair and sense of community as all of the fans try their culture, and if adopted, can spread multiculturalism worldwide. It is also a chance for the world to see places, people and cultures unbeknownst to them otherwise
I agree because the fact that the World Cup is hosted in Qatar would provide an increase in tourism and therefore an opportunity for new jobs, due to more people visiting either during the World Cup season or after, since its boost in popularity this would potentially lead to developments in urbanisations and in the industries, therefore more people=more money spent, creating an increase in wages and slowly improving the pay of the minimum paid workers
Hi storytelling_cherry!
I agree the human rights violations are absolutely awful
What do you mean by 'top 10 countries in the world' what has this been based upon?
I disagree because I think it would provide opportunities for financial growth due to an increase in tourism, this would be beneficial to the underpaid workers as the government will earn more money and will lead to an increase in wages as well.Also ,they have changed the World Cup tournament since it is taking place during winter, so the players and fans are not at risk or impacted by the high temperature's
Human rights should be equallafied in quatar for the LGBTQ community
Some people say that Qatar shouldn't host the World Cup because of this issue. Others say having the World Cup there means the whole world is watching and it's a chance to highlight issues. What do you think?
From my point of view, this will shed light on it, and this is the main reason for the controversy, because the injustice inflicted on the workers of Qatar during the days of extreme heat cannot be tolerated by anyone, and this is considered a violation of human rights, and the money I paid will go to waste, and this will change the treatment Qatar for the better
And some peoples have begun to boycott Qatar, such as Paris, as it has prevented the broadcasting of matches in public squares, and in my opinion they have the right to do so, instead of making the World Cup in them, they must treat their workers well, so what is the benefit of the money that they earn as long as It does not harness it to its workers and citizens
I agree with you. So many people that are part of the lgbtq community won't be able to participate to the world Cup just because of the human rights in Qatar
I think that it is bad that gay and lesbian people cant go in but it is good that it is spreading culture to the middle east also they won the election fair and square.
Was the election fair and square? Can you find any evidence this may not have been the case?
Well i agree with you because it is a free world everybody has a right to make their own decision and the LGBTQ have made their choice to be LGBTQ so i feel like they should be allowed and not be restricted to go for events held by the country just because some of them are gay or lesbians. And this also makes it harder for the lgbtq to be open about their sexual orientation. I also feel that the restrictions made by the government is causing stigmatization and discrimination by people to the lgbtq's.
Hi inventive_artist - you said that people made their choice but this isn't correct, because sexuality is not a choice. I think you make some good points about public restrictions being discriminatory and making it harder for some people to be open.
Do you mean spreading Middle Eastern culture globally or spreading western culture to the Middle East?
Do you have any supporting evidence to back up your claim that the Qatar Bid for the 2022 World Cup was won fairly?
Should any country be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup? Why or why not?
Any country willing to host the World Cup should be allowed to host it, and I see that this supports the request of the FIFA President to separate sport from politics, If you are really interested in attending the match, you will do the impossible to attend, and if you are going to support your sexual orientation and beliefs, this will be evident through your rejection or acceptance of the laws of Qatar.
This is really interesting broadminded_memory, that's got me thinking. If there is a football player that is part of the LGBT community, should they play in the world cup or not attend and would that have any affect on the football team?
Thanks for responding
So my opinion is If he is part of the LGBT community, he can play, of course, after all, he is a human being with rights,But if he exploits his game to show his sexual orientation or support homosexuals and wear the gay badge and any statement he makes about them in matches and interviews, then he is not entitled to do so,Because it creates an intellectual tendency among the masses, and it will also expose its national team to a ban from playing with some teams that do not support LGBT,If he wants to play, he should play for his passion for football and not to show his sexual orientation
Hi broadminded_memory,
Am I correct in summarising your opinion that it would be a political statement to show support in this way and therefore you disagree with it because it is against rules?
Can you challenge yourself to consider an opposing perspective and share why people might be upset by being told they cannot share support?
I disagree with your comment as no one will discard their sexuality or change their sexual orientation to attend a football match in Qatar, a country which literally does not support the LGBTQ+ community and you stating that creates a clear reference that you are not a supporter and are not willing to fight for human rights in all countries.
I think this controversy is needed because many people have different opinions.
I think that any country that follows a certain criteria should be allowed to host a big sports event, because if the country is paying it's workers and is following human rights, they should be allowed to host the tournament.
I was on the Live Topical Talk and my class mostly agreed that fans might boycott the tournament, which I think would be really successful, because if Qatar is not following human rights and is jailing journalists who speak out( this is called censorship) the fans might decide to not come which would make Qatar have spent 300 billion dollars on absolutely nothing. It may also force Qatar to become a better country.
Some people think that Qatar bribed the FIFA company to change the results, because Qatar isn't even in the top 100 teams.
I agree with the first statements, however, fans would not boycott the tournament, primarily for the reason of how many people share an undying love for football. Have you seen how full all of the stadiums are? Despite all of the rules and regulations, three games a day, on average about 50,000 people watching each game live, that is 150,000 people in person alone, probably even more as some stadiums are filled to the full 60,000. 7.4 million watched England vs Iran from home, and 9.4 watches USA vs Wales from home, on the BBC alone. This means that even despite the laws in the country, people will not boycott the tournament to the level where it will have any effect on what happens in Qatar, it is likely to go on no matter what. Yes, there are people who disagree, Gary Lineker (host of MOTD) for example has had public rants on social media, yet he is still hosting the games in Qatar, does this not show that people aren't boycotting? Even at the highest level, either they feel they is nothing they can do, or there just IS nothing they can do
I disagree with you that if football fans didn't travel to Qatar then Qatar will gain nothing. According to apnews, Qatar has spent at least 220B dollars on the infrastructure of the country and of course the stadiums. For that all what Qatar spent for is called investing in what the country needs and enhancing it. So the biggest winner here are the citizens of Qatar and the next generations who'll benefit from these infrastructure that are related to electricity water transportation and bridges... Etc.
Source of information: https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-soccer-sports-qatar-middle-east-9cb9d4f242830725c9d30919a09b7187#:~:text=Qatar%20spent%20at%20least%20%24200,host%20the%20global%20soccer%20tournament.
I agree with you on everything, and this debate continues as long as people's opinions and viewpoints differ. But no country has the ability to host such a big event, unless it has criteria and ingredients that push it to host the World Cup. Everyone was mocking and ridiculing the issue that Qatar would host the World Cup, but Qatar amazed and surprised the world and proved that it is capable of doing so.
I think that people who disagree with where the event is hosted should speak to FIFA directly and tell FIFA their reason why they don't like the country that they chose because FIFA can change the country that is picked to host the world cup and if FIFA agree then they can chnage the country if the reasons are bad enough.
After spending 300 billion on stadiums, more on other infrastructure, people already buying tickets, brand deals, TNC's relocating... and even more. Do you really think FIFA can just change the country? No. They cant. It was agreed in 2010 that Qatar would host the world cup, this has been 12 years in the making it isnt going to just change, the reasons may be bad enough, but do you think FIFA or Qatar are going to care? No. The FIFA president even said he would host a world cup in North Korea, do you not think this would spark even more controversy, does this not show how little FIFAs president cares about humanity? or does it just show he will take whoever pays him he most?
I think that Qatar shouldn't host the world cup if other countrys disagree that they should host it . They have loads of problems with human rights and treating LGBTQ+ members differently than all of the rest of the public. They have spent so much money on structures and hotels. Should there be a limit to the amount of money spent on big sporting events like this to stop adding to climate change? I think yes as this country is spending loads of money on structures and hotels but what if they all go out of use? It still costs money to keep the places up and running. Overall I think that Qatar shouldn't be allowed to host this event as there has been lots of arguments about the votes not being fair and they are spending way too much money.
You raise an interesting point with respect to how much money is spent on these sorts of events. A similar situation has happened with the Olympics and now cities don't want to host it anymore because of the costs.
Do you think it would have been better to be held somewhere with facilities already in place so that the cost is more reasonable? Do you have any candidates?
I think that the word cup should not be held in Quatar because of the human right issues but i specifialy would like to cover the point of the LGBTQ+ problem. I think this is very wrong that Quatar have a propblem with people that are apart of the LGBTQ+ community, first of all, being part of that comunity is a choice, not everyone will want to date the same genders but some wont. Personaly, it doesnt bother me because it isnt me so why do i care what other people are doing in there lives if it has nothing to do with me. Homophobia is a disgraceful thing but my question for the people that are homophobic is why do you care what others are doing?
I agree because... I honestly liked the way you solved the LGBTQ+ problem and I also liked the term CHOICE you used while solving the problem here. Quatar obviously have a reason to defend and make their law stand, but that deosn't mean you will change the kind of person you have decided to be, you are just like everyboby else but our choices makes us different from others, thats why we are always advised to make the right choice to end up living your desired life.
You are basically saying everyone should "live and let live", supportive_cherry, which I think is great. But do you really think people have a choice regarding their sexuality?
I think that Qatar should not be letting their workers suffer in such terrible conditions.I also think that it is unfair that the LGBTQ+should not be restricted in the country. The cost that Doha spent over $300 for the stadium is unbelievable that amount of money could end world hunger for 4.5 months! Although it has nothing to do with me i think that it should have been supported.
I think that not all countries should hold a big sporting event like the world cup because if they cannot treat people fairly they might not be able to build the stadiums as people might not want to work for them. If people disagree with the country that is holding it I think they should talk to FIFA to tell them their perspective.
When Qatar was announced as host seven years ago, many people did speak out and said they thought FIFA had made a bad choice. Why do you think FIFA stuck to its decision? What other factors do you think might have played a role?
What could people or teams do if they disagree with where an event is hosted?
For me, it's like playing against a team from another country whose policies and laws you don't agree with, but in the end you have to play, because you're here to represent your team, not your feelings!
Before the player thinks whether or not he wants to be in that host country, he must take into account that he is here to represent his country, just like ambassadors! And he knows that he will face these events before entering as a football player, so he had to see the matter more rationally, not emotionally.
So the answer to the question for me would be for them to do nothing and put their feelings aside
broadminded_memory do you think a player can express their viewpoints outside of the football pitch?
Some might argue that human rights is not a matter of politics but of dignity and that that should come before sports of world titles - how would you respond to this view?
thanks for your reply
Yes, human rights are a matter of dignity, not a political issue, and this is what FIFA follows in its law
Where FIFA will not allow you to fly the flag of homosexuality in a Muslim land, This is considered a persecution of human rights because, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (freedom of religion is the right to profess any religion of his choice and to show his religion in worship without undue interference), The persecution of Muslim culture in Qatar is also a matter of dignity
To avoid such situations, I support FIFA in maintaining Rule 50”, a rule issued by the International Olympic Committee that prohibits any form of activity at the Olympic Games,Athletes must not wear, say, or do anything that makes a political statement in order for the events to remain "neutral" (not taking sides).
I understand where you're coming from but why should the footballers, fans and rest of the teams put aside the way they feel. sporting events and any major events should be hosted in a country where everyone is free to be themselves. imagine if you were part of the LGBTQ+ community and a fan, footballer etc. and you had to go to a country with laws similar to Qatar. you would be scared each day you were there. football should be something you should enjoy playing and watching and how can people enjoy it if they know that their life is in danger simply for loving someone. there are many more openly LGBTQ+ female footballers and it is not fair that they will not be allowed to play in Qatar because of that. you rarely see men come out in football because they know that they will be discriminated whether they're in a homophobic country like Qatar or a more equal country like the UK. if you were part of the community then I think you'd understand a lot more how scary things like this are. you don't even need to be in a specific country like Qatar to be scared of this type of news. hearing about people in your community being killed or arrested for simply loving someone is a heartbreaking thing and there's so many people out there who say that they understand when really, they do not.
I think they should host it in Qatar as someone it the country is the owner of Fifa, which is even better so if he is there then they can have an amazing world cup. Another reason that Qatar should host the world cup is they have high quality stadiums and their stadiums are recyclable.This to me is not to let people suffer in the hot hot weather as it is too hot to play football because everyone would like a great world cup.
Hi Playful_Pomegranate - You say that the stadiums in Qatar are recyclable. What do you mean by that? Could you give an example?
I think that this controversy is unbelievable because leaders in Qatar are not respecting their citizens correctly. I believe this as everyone has human rights for example: they don not support the LGBTQ+ community however if they would like to date someone of their chose they should has the rights to do that and we should all be treated equally.
I do not think every country should have the opportunity to host a sporting event like the World Cup as Qatar is way too hot most months of the year and it could become very dangerous.
People, who are playing in the world cup, could protest about it a bit more about it or wear a band or shirt that says stop abuse in Qatar.
Thanks for your comment glad_bird. Where else do you think could have hosted the World Cup this year if not Qatar?
Some teams have in fact considered doing just that, glad_bird. Can you name any teams who planned to protest using their shirts or armbands? What statements did they want to make? Were they able to carry our their protests in the end?
I can, Harry Kane was trying to wear his armband while playing an England game during the FIFA World Cup. This hugely affected him as the referees had said that if he ever wore his band in the World Cup, which is being held in Qatar, he would get a yellow card and possibly even get disqualified and not be able to contribute in the games.
People have tried the last point, the england players to be exact, and a mix of Qatar highers up and FIFA have threatened to punish the players on and off the pitch if they chose to remain this. this just all shouldn't happen
This is a bit sensitive, but I don't agree On this matter, because Qatar has already revealed the news that there are air conditioners in the stadiums, and other than that, the temperature in these days will be low. This means that it may be 20 ° or 18° The temperature is not an obstacle to Qatar hosting the World Cup, and despite that, Qatar has paid more than 100 billion for this equipment, and we do not have the right to prevent this event because despite that it has come very close _ but I think that this attack On Qatar, it may be because of its Islamic religion, which most people do not accept, and their rejection of all beliefs that are contrary to the Islamic religion. Despite this, this is from my own point of view, and I think that some of them may attack Qatar for something else, but this is not A reason for refusing to hold the World Cup in an Arab Islamic country
Some people might argue that the amount of air conditioning required is very bad for the environment. What do you think the environmental impact is?
Definitely everyone has a comment to make but while making them we tend to use emotions and already built stereotypes which is wrong and I feel that we should not work based on these opinions rather we should have an open mind and expect something better. It is called the world cup for a reason being that every nation country directly or indirectly participate in the event and that is what makes the event worthwhile, it indirectly creates an atmosphere that gives room for unity in diversity and so everyone should be allowed to host regardless of whether they are developing or developed or if they have issues affecting them and strong beliefs maybe the only time a country should be passed over is when they have an issue of security. If people which are not part of the committee organizing the event then in my honest opinion they should not participate since they have a reason which is valid or they could use a virtual reality platform that allows everyone have the world cup event in the country of their choice.
I don't like how Qatar is the host country for the FIFA world cup 2022 because it is way to hot there which gives the football players a disadvantage to play the match and the people who built the luxurious hotels for the people who wanted to see the match get treated badly and have to stay in poor hotels.
You make a good point in particular with respect to the workers there. Many migrant workers are employed to build the facilities and then staff them. They are not always treated well, and many died building the stadiums.
If you had the opportunity to go to the world cup in Qatar, would you go? Why?
Interesting point - would you say that FIFA has become less about the players and fans but more about countries trying to show their dominance and power on the global stage?
If it is hot in Qatar then I think Qatar has come up with a way to make footballers feel comfortable.
I disagree because the event it literally getting hosted in winter to resolve any climate issues, it would be normal temperature for the football match to go on, if it was unsafe and if it would've impacted the footballers success, I'm pretty certain FIFA would've taken this into consideration, as they would've lost money otherwise. Also, the stadiums will have air conditioning which they have recently installed, in order to keep as cool as possible in case fans cannot handle the temperatures
This controversy is justified because such a world event brings many people of different beliefs and opinions about human rights so such people cannot sit back and shut their voices on such a big truth about Qatar depriving and violating human rights. According to me, an event that brings and draws attention of many people should only be hosted in countries that are free from racism, segregation, discrimination of people of any community for example in Qatar the LGBTQ community is treated differently from others something that wouldn't promote world peace and in an event like world cup, it might cause divisions in people and could destroy the fun and purpose plus the neutalness of the games. So i think a good country to host such an event is one that has proper laws on human rights without segregation of any communities.
FIFA should endever to check the policies of the country that is to host the event considering factors like human rights as very important. In fact, a full committee with representatives from the fans, footballers and FIFA officials should be made specially to check the qualification of the countries to host world inclusive of other factors like infrastructure, social services and political stability. So people and teams have a platform to say their views about the countries to host the event.
Some people might argue that the world is now watching Qatar and can highlight issue they see and put pressure on Qatar to make changes. What do you think about this?
Should any country be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup why or why not
I think any country should be allowed but there are conditions everyone wants to have that World Cup in their country there is a competition for this also the winning country needs to have good places for the for the matches enormous stadiums with fine pitches and that the host country enjoys a distinguished strategic
it also needs to have a good transport for all the people who travel to watch the matches and lots of the places for them to eat and sleep
Are there any other things that you think should be criteria for being a host of the world cup grounded_reality?
In my opinion, I think that a country with bad working conditions and bad human rights such as the strict laws on lgbtq, referring to qatar, should not host the world cup and so many fans and even players, such as goretska and henry, are boycotting the tournament. The only reason that qatar held the world cup was because it payed fifa millions of pounds to host the tournament. Another reason is the fact that because of such high temperatures they had to move the famous tournaments schedule.
Interesting response warm_alligator, thank you. What impact do you think moving the scheduling (time of year) might have?
Thank you for your comment! Do you think people are right to boycott the tournament? Can sport create political change for good? If you had the opportunity to attend, would you go?
I disagree because Qatar is an Islamic country and they do not support that. The world should understand with Qatar and the LGBQT+ community should not have an offense with that. Probably if Qatar knew they would one day host the world cup they wont make to strict rules.
You said that people from the LGBTQ community should not take offense from the rules in Qatar - however, in Qatar, people from the LGBTQ community have fewer human rights. Does this mean that you believe it is OK to not take offense about inequality in general? I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
I support equality but if they are not getting equal rights with other citizens then they should protest or come to an agreement with the government.
do not think every country should have the opportunity to host a sporting event like the World Cup as Qatar is way too hot most months of the year and it could become very dangerous.
People, who are playing in the world cup, could protest about it a bit more about it or wear a band or shirt that says stop abuse in Qatar.
Before the player thinks whether or not he wants to be in that host country, he must take into account that he is here to represent his country, just like ambassadors! And he knows that he will face these events before entering as a football player, so he had to see the matter more rationally, not emotionally.
So the answer to the question for me would be for them to do nothing and put their feelings aside
Thanks wise_banjo. How do you think that might make the players feel, to do nothing and put any negative feelings about the host country aside?
In my opinion, I think that a country with bad working conditions and bad human rights such as the strict laws on lgbtq, referring to qatar, should not host the world cup and so many fans and even players, such as goretska and henry, are boycotting the tournament. The only reason that qatar held the world cup was because it payed fifa millions of pounds to host the tournament. Another reason is the fact that because of such high temperatures they had to move the famous tournaments schedule.
DO you think others should boycott?
I agree that the world cup shouldn't be held in Qatar because it has a corruption score of 63 of 100 and a rank 31 of 180 which is not as corrupt as other places but is worse than places like UAE. Also, there laws are not very good Like making being gay illegal
Qatar won the right to host the world cup when the FIFA congress voted, fair and square. The controversy arising about the laws concerning the LGBTQ community is somewhat justified, but I would like to bring attention to how Qatar is a Muslim-populated and governed country and, alongside civil rule, Islamic rule is also practiced. Does this mean that any country that practices Islamic rule does not have a right to host the world cup? It is called the ‘world’ cup for a reason. Not to mention the millions spent by Qatar to ensure that the world cup would run smoothly, would that mean that by changing the host all that money would be to waste? The issue concerning how hot it would be I believe is not very reasonable because during December the weather is on an average of 21 degrees to 26 degrees Celcius, compared to other Middle Eastern countries and even African countries, this isn’t severe. The reason the issue is even being brought up is that it is being compared to UK weather. And finally, because Qatar fairly won the right, people should realize that Qatar is its own country and everyone should respect it, especially if the citizens aren’t complaining.
I agree that the world cup shouldn't be held in Qatar because it has a corruption score of 63 of 100 and a rank 31 of 180 which is not as corrupt as other places but is worse than places like UAE. Also, there laws are not very good Like making being gay illegal.
Can you give a source for the figures you quoted? Can you give examples of corruption in Qatar?
I used this website which show the corruption in every country. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021
How can you tell this website is reliable?
Because countries have to feed into the website and some countries haven't and Its the only website used by a lot of countries in the world
I think this controversy is needed because many people have different opinions.
I think that any country that follows a certain criteria should be allowed to host a big sports event, because if the country is paying it's workers and is following human rights, they should be allowed to host the tournament.
I was on the Live Topical Talk and my class mostly agreed that fans might boycott the tournament, which I think would be really successful, because if Qatar is not following human rights and is jailing journalists who speak out( this is called censorship) the fans might decide to not come which would make Qatar have spent 300 billion dollars on absolutely nothing. It may also force Qatar to become a better country.
Some people think that Qatar bribed the FIFA company to change the results, because Qatar isn't even in the top 100 teams.
Great to her you joined the Live Lesson!
Insightful comment @digital_seal.
Wonder if we could dig deeper on what would cause Qatar to become a better country following deep financial losses from fan boycotting. Further still, given the World Cup lasts for 29 days, what are the incentives for Qatari financiers to action long-lasting social change (a better country)?
Qatar is the smallest nation to ever host the World Cup ,yes the place is very hot but I do believe that football is played in a stadium .Qatar is emerging as one of leading countries in the world in new technology adaptation, innovation, and system automation. With this they can make the stadium cold enough, so heat is not really a problem. Trying new things is good it allows you explore and see new things , so yes with the right resources any country can host a big sporting event like the world cup. When there is a disagreement the best thing to do is vote that is why we have elections, if not any random person on the street could become the president. The best thing to do is vote who ever tops the vote wins .
i think Qatar should host the world cup because have spent 3 billion pounds on the stadiums .
Thank you for your comment. Do you think the 3billion they spent could have been spent elsewhere in the country, or was it right to spend this amount of money on just one event?
Hi joyful_insect,
They did spend a lot on the stadium! Do you think that is a good enough reason for Qatar to host the World Cup, in light of problems such as human rights abuses? Why or why not?
I believe that every country has a special policy, and that every country has a special government, and it is assumed that these things are not exposed publicly, but that the Qatari people must undertake uprisings to change the methods of government, that the World Cup takes place in the month of December, that is, in the winter, and the climate of Qatar is moderate This is very suitable for the players, and the work they have a period of four years to build. In my opinion, the cup should be in all countries, but Qatar has the advantages of climate and vast lands.
hello everyone. I am going to disagree with that because I personally think that it doesn't matter if the climate there is hot but whether the infrastructure, facilities and equipment are in tip-top shape. Besides, Qatar can provide cooling units for the footballers as they play. Also the players and the team strength of the country hosting doesn't matter. I think that the way FIFA picks it host for the world cup is by the level of infrastructure the country has.
A very good comment aware_computer.
Should any country host a major event like the World Cup? Why and why not?
I think any country that wants it should be allowed if it has the required conditions to be able to host the World Cup
I believe that Qatar is a suitable country to host the World Cup, although it is not one of the 10 best countries in the world, but it is economically advanced and has huge stadiums that can accommodate a large number of players and large places to host people who want to watch the World Cup
Thank you for your comment. I agree that they have great infrastructure to host this tournament. Do you think there are any downsides to Quatar hosting?
I do not think that Qatar hosting this tournament will have negative effects, but I think that the economic income that will accrue to Qatar is small in relation to the cost it provided in order to equip stadiums and hotels. As for other aspects, I think that Qatar will have a great position in the world.
I think that the biggest controversy in hosting this event in Qatar is the climate of Qatar, because the climate of Qatar is moderate and I think this is an ideal weather for any sports (i.e. football).I hope next time this event will also be participated by Pakistan.
THANK YOU.
Hi glorious_philosophy - actually Qatar had to change the time of year that the Olympics were taking place because the climate there is very hot. Even now, some people are concerned that it might be too hot for the footballers and fans.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
What other issues do you think has generated controversy?
Regardless of your support for the existence of an event called the World Cup or not, but what Qatar is doing to use the event to educate the foreign masses present about Islam is something very remarkable, and such opportunities are rare due to the large number of attendees and also the diversity of countries and cultures from which they will come to follow and also it is very strange that many The voices that are currently criticizing the World Cup in Qatar, we did not hear them criticizing it when it was in other countries, they remind me of those who use the phrase “feeding the hungry is better than building a mosque” in the wrong place. I made it, but I deal with it because it is the reality of the situation
You make an interesting point, digital pigeon! What other World Cup host countries should have been criticised or more scrutinised and why?
I think that the world cup should absolutely not be going ahead in Qatar. I think this because in the past couple of decades most of the world have been working and fighting against human rights issues, such as making gay marriage legal and not making workers have to do their jobs in disgusting conditions. It's just not fair that openly gay fans can't even attend the tournament. Also, the weather conditions are just too hot for colder countries such as England and Wales, I understand that they obviously can't change their own weather, but it is still extremely hot. I just think there are better places that could have held the World Cup such as Australia and South Korea. Anyway, I hope the tournament is a success.
Quite simply, the World Cup is the most important sporting tournament on Earth. It is the event in which football is the most popular sport in the world.
Grant Wahl, the author of the book "The Masters of Modern Football," said in his interview with the American Fox website that the number of countries that are interested in the World Cup is much greater than the number of countries that are interested in any other sporting event.
For months, the controversy has not stopped over the World Cup and Qatar, with the start of the countdown to the start of the tournament. The French capital, Paris, announced its joining several cities that decided to refrain from displaying the sports that will be launched next month on giant screens, or allocating places for fans.
Should any country be allowed to host a major sporting event like the World Cup?
Yes/because if the host country is unable to afford the costs, it did not host.
What do you think of this controversy?! And why?! In frankness, there are many points of view that we can see as right and others not. If we say that we do not agree, it will be because Qatar has made a large donation to the stadium. If we look at the stadium from the inside and outside, we are excited to go and watch the match. Also, I think that all celebrities travel to countries: Qatar, the Emirates and Dubai are among the countries that have the most people who support football heroes. And if we say no, we are also right, because it is an example of reality. If I sweat from the severity of the temperature, I will not be able to play, and transportation is also difficult, but I suggest a solution that the match be in the city of Quito, which is in the middle of the world, and the world can go to it. But I agree with the first opinion that Qatar is a suitable country for football because it is possible to install air conditioning or use cold fans.
I think that controversy is inevitable and they are on the right path to make their voice and cause known
Any country can host a major sporting event such as the World Cup as long as it qualifies and follows safety and security standards
And in the event that they disagree about the place to host the event, they can draw lots and choose the place
Thanks for sharing your views!
How do you think this controversy may affect Qatari's views and approach to human rights of LGBT+ pepole?
In my opinion, Qatar is a suitable country for displaying the FIFA World Cup, because Qatar has tired of building the stadium from the inside and outside. It has built VIP hotels overlooking the matches. The opening of the World Cup is different because they actually made the most beautiful opening, and if we notice that the thing cost them a lot of money, the floor they offer is very luxurious, in my opinion, that Qatar deserves this.
This got me thinking! Why do you think a VIP and luxurious offer is so important for the World Cup? How do you think poorer populations (especially in Qatar) may be affected?
I think that people who disagree with where the event is hosted should speak to FIFA directly and tell FIFA their reason why they don't like the country that they chose because FIFA can change the country that is picked to host the world cup and if FIFA agree then they can chnage the country if the reasons are bad enough. but personally I think they should host it in Qatar as someone it the country is the owner of Fifa, which is even better so if he is there then they can have an amazing world cup and also Qatar used over 200 billion dollars to prepare the World Cup stadiums
In the beginning, we are with Qatar, which succeeded as an Arab and Islamic country for the first time hosting the World Cup, in organizing this huge event in an impressive way, but what is controversial is the cost of organizing this event is very large, as it amounted to approximately more than 220 billion dollars, and this is an insane number compared to the last World Cup It was organized in 2018, when it cost nearly 12 billion dollars, and if we wanted to talk about the expected return of nearly 17 billion at its best, what if these huge funds were invested in rescuing people in developing and poor countries, especially since the world is going through its worst economic and food crises? sanitary and climatic? In my opinion, the world needs to invest in health, education and solving climate change problems to save all of humanity more than it needs to invest in one-time use stadiums and clubs.
Thanks zestful_television! Please share where you found these numbers so that other students can decide whether they are reliable or not. Your main argument here is that the money spent on the Qatar World Cup could have been better spent elsewhere -- however my challenge for you now is to give some reasons why it is also important for countries to spend money on big sports events like the World Cup.
I do not agree with you, because Qatar provides its people with all the needs, and Qatar ranks first in the Arab world, with an average wealth per capita, and Qatar respects its citizens and has good working conditions, and Qatar is a country that helps developing countries, and that is my country. It spent a high budget for the success of the World Cup and attracting tourists, and for sure this is due to the host country with great economic and political benefits, but if we talk about this great legacy, there is a tangible material legacy represented in the design of infrastructure, roads, modern clubs, economic performance, its return to the homeland and the beneficiaries later and there A moral and emotional legacy, a legacy linked to bringing most countries of the world with their full culture and languages and merging them with their own culture, customs and traditions.
grounded_reality thanks for your comment. Some interesting points. Can you explain what you mean with regards to the working conditions?
It employs foreign labor from various countries of the world and provides available job opportunities, as it ranks first in the Arab world, with an average wealth per worker and individual, as I mentioned earlier.
I think the controversy in Qatar isn't very good because many people from different countries come to the World Cup to support their team.Another problem is that Qatar has rules against LGBTQ community and females.The World Cup wasn't held in summer because it was too hot to play.
I think not all the countries can host the World Cup because many countries aren't prepared for this and the stadiums don't have a lot of chairs like the stadiums from other countries and many countries don't have the recommended budget for the World Cup.
If the supporters and the team don't want a country to host the World Cup,they will say to FIFA that they disagree with that country to host the World Cup or they maybe can say that they don't want to play if they don't change the country that hosts the World Cup and they can protest to the FIFA community that they don't like that country from different causes. For example by using social media to voice their opinion on these countries or they could boycott the events.
I think that this controversy isn't about people not agreeing with Qatar hosting the World Cup but about them being mad that their country wasn't chosen to host this event.
In my opinion every country should have the right to host a big sporting events, but if they are not ready to host it or don't have enough money to do it.
And the people or teams that disagree with where it's hosted, they can just not watch it.
It was significant that Qatar was chosen because this is the first Time a Middle Easteen country has hosted.
I believe that Qatar isn’t the best choice for a country to be holding such a big event. First of all the country could use that money for something else instead of a football event. For example solving other social problems they might have or helping other countries to solve global issues. We are talking about 300 billion dollars here. This amount of money can solve world hunger for 4 months. Next, Qatar has some very strict laws against the lgbtq and women and other social groups. So really is Qatar the right country for such a big event? In a global context should which laws should we respect that of our own country or the host country and where is the middle ground?
I think that the controversy happening in Qatar isn't very good because The World Cup's rules are bend just for them and not necessarily every other country in the history of FIFA.
Not any country should be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup because they should be qualified, not like Qatar that seemingly treats people more or less good.
People or teams should play normally, but the next time, they should speak to the people that organizate to consider the conditions that the players are in.
Thanks innovative_kiwifruit. Could you now try to think of arguments about why some people believe that hosting the World Cup in Qatar is a good thing?
I think that this controversy is kind of okay because it is kind of weird because even if you host a big important match, you have a big stadium and a lot of people at the moment, in Qatar, after the game, it will be the same or just a tiny more people sometimes maybe to visit the stadium and a lack of money because they spend a lot of money on that. Also, not every single country should be allowed to host such an important event because Qatar is a country where women are not treated in the same way as other countries and girls can like football or soccer or whatever but they can't go in those countries where it is possible for them to get hurt and to start conflicts. Teams can change though where the event is. No players, no game. They can't be forced to play. At least not all of them.
Hi Jubilant_Seagull - your point that teams can change the location of an event is interesting. Do you think countries should have boycotted the Qatar World Cup? Can you think of any implications?
Hi Alice! Thank you for your reply. Yes I do think that they should have boycotted the Qatar World Cup because countries should speak out. Think of the women in Iran, if they didn't speak out and protest then nobody would be talking about the awful things which are happening there right now. By not showing up it can make a big statement to the rest of the world and maybe they will also join you if they are scared to stand up and show their opinions too. Think what would happen if all the teams decided not to take part then Fifa would have no choice but to change the location, they would not want to cancel such a popular event.
In my opinion I do not think that is ok that they choose to play the word cup in Qatar beacuse they have some problems.Like there women's are not treated right and they could be in danger, they even spend 300 bilion dollars for the stadium that could stop the world hunger for 4 months. I think some contries can be allowed to keep important events, but they need to not care about genders not. If people do not like the county that host the match they need to protest or just to do not came and participate to the match.
Hi Engaging_Koala - could you give an example of the treatment of women in Qatar? If you were offered a free ticket to a World Cup match in Qatar, would you go?
I don't think it's right because they go against human rights and it's morally corrupt. They also changed the whole structure of the World Cup just so they could have it. The royal family (of Qatar) is wrong for stepping in and banning alcohol even after Budweiser is the main sponsor and all that beer is going to waste.
Are you sure it will go to waste, loving_saxophone? If you found out that it was being used elsewhere, would this change how you feel? Or are there other reasons why you are disappointed?
Thought provoking comment @loving_saxophone.
Two questions you might want to consider:
1. How do we determine morality across cultural boundaries (West/Middle-East)?
2. What are the advantages of alcohol-free stadiums?
I think they should host the World cup in a country with more human rights because it would encourage more people to go. Qatar doesn't allow drinking but drinking beer is associated with football.
This got me thinking! Is it a good thing that some people associate beer and football? And how might an alcohol-free World Cup change this? Could that be a good thing or a bad thing?
I agree! People might not feel safe to go in a country that might mistreat them. Take for example the lgbtq community. They might not want to go because of the limited human rights in Qatar.
Honestly I don't think that
not allowing you to drink 🍸beer ia that bad just because of the simple fact that people can get drunk.
I think the controversy is indispensable because people have various points of view.
Countries have particular reasons for wanting to host world cup, reasons is; the general assumption is that hosting a World Cup has to be good for a country: it provides an increase in tourism, creates thousands of jobs and pumps billions of dollars into the country via ticket sales and sponsor.
FIFA have criteria and have had strict stadium guideline requirements since at least 2001. Stadiums must have a capacity of at least 40,000, stadiums hosting quarter-finals must have a minimum of 60,000 and those hosting the opening ceremony or final must have a capacity of at least 80,000.
But the reality is that the money spent on hosting the tournament, both the direct cost of setting up the infrastructure (stadiums and security for example) and the opportunity costs (money spend on hosting the tournament that could be used to boost the economy elsewhere). If countries see the need to still want to host they should be allowed if they can meet the requirement.
Hi funny Lute, great research. Asides from stadium and sizing guidelines, do you think FIFA should have criteria around social issues? e.g. how much they should pay workers for working on the world cup or even a quota for how many locals should be employed to help the local communities?
Also, what do you think the most important criteria for hosting a large even like this should be?
Workers have different Job standard, For instance, those who water the pitch can be paid differently from the referees. The job of of those watering may be more tasking than the referee, the referee just does his aspect of work during the game.
I think a high number of locals should be employed because an advantage of the world cup is that it provides employment opportunity for a lot of people. And this helps in improving the standard of living of people.
I think the most important criteria is to have a good economy first in the country before considering hosting events which involve large cost.
Considering that I love football and I hope to go to Qatar to attend the 2022 World Cup, but as a Palestinian citizen it is not easy to obtain a visa to go to Qatar, and this is a reason that encourages me to say: Why does Palestine not host the next World Cup, but this thing is impossible in light of the economic conditions political and material. But if the World Cup is held in Palestine, this will return to my country with many benefits and positives, that is, the world will recognize it and it will become a country full of tourists, and we will have the opportunity to participate in the world. The Cup and enjoy watching it, as well as raising the overall economy of my country, Palestine, presenting the culture and history of my country in front of tourists, and also strengthening relations between my country (the host country) and the countries participating in the World Cup.
I agree because... Also, we can travel anywhere, even if our economic situation allows
However, there are painful political circumstances that we cannot describe
I think it is natural for a controversy to arise over Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, because of its human rights record and that it is an Arab country and does not support homosexuals. This is the reason for the Europeans' refusal to hold this great event in Qatar. Also, the Qatari team was subjected to a kind of mockery and ridicule, as for the football community, the idea of hosting an Arab country for the largest sporting event was impossible. And we, as Arab countries, are honored and pleased to hold the World Cup in Qatar, in addition to the fact that the State of Qatar is very beautiful and has provided modern services and technologies and has made golden touches in building eight stadiums, and despite all the preparations that it has made, this controversy continues.
Hi fearless_engineer - you are right, there has been a lot of controversy about the decision, however the World Cup is going ahead in Qatar. You are also right that it is the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament. Why do you think it's important for more countries to get a chance to host global events like this?
In order for each country to highlight its culture, beliefs and religion in front of other countries. And to bring the peoples of the world closer together, and the rapprochement is not limited to specific countries. This makes countries care about their tourism facilities and infrastructure. And to increase job opportunities in every country that hosts the global sporting event. And to increase the income of the host country for the sporting event.
In my opinion, holding the Olympic Games this year in the State of Qatar is a good thing. Alternation between foreign countries and Arab countries is a good thing. And when going to any country, everyone should abide by the culture and laws of that country. Of course, in all countries of the world there are good and bad advantages. As for the controversy in this matter, it is natural for a person to become accustomed to certain laws, and not adapt to other laws. Also, the establishment of the Olympics in Qatar will push Qatar to change something in its dealings and laws, and I see that strict laws are better than fragile laws. This is my point of view.
Thank you amusing_wildcat! How and why do you think this could change Qatar's dealings and laws?
And could you elaborate on why strict laws are better than fragile laws? Are there any situations where fragile laws may be more beneficial?
When Qatar sees a large number of people who do not like its laws, it will change it.
As for the fact that strict laws are better, the people, if there are no strict laws, will deviate from the ordinary, but there are some cases in which fragile laws are better, which is when strict laws are on the smallest matters.
I have answered your questions, I will ask you a question, why do people see other people's mistakes and not their own?
I agree with the host country because every country needs a second chance to be better and realise that they can be good if they weren't.
I know that not all countries are perfect but they don't always think about the bad parts of themselves objectively. Everyone can be good and change the world if they help themselves and each other.
No matter what you think of Qatar, they want to inspire their new generation and they are an example of how a small country can succeed on their own and the first country to host the world cup from their part of the world!
Beginnings are strict and difficult, and they set difficult laws for societies because it is the beginning of them. Now Qatar is becoming one of the best countries in the world because it worked hard on itself and its society and tired until it reached what it is today. We must not look at the past and look to the future.
Personally I think that people are right to disagree with fifa's choice. I really want to know why they chose Quatar🤔. There were so many sacrifices made for the sake of this country holding the 2022 world Cup, starting from a huge amount of money(300 billion dollars 💸) to changing the actual date. If you didn't know they had to change the date of the world Cup since it would've been too hot in the summer☀️ .
Should any country be allowed to hold a big sports event? Well, I personally think that if you have the money 💰, space, and the circumstances your country should be allowed.
If you disagree with where the world Cup 🌎 is hosted there are many way you could protest. Maybe just not going, making videos on social media🗣, at this point even changing your profile picture with a banner that shows your opinion and many other methods like writing a letter to FIFA.
Russia are an example of another country to be criticised. For the sochi winter games and also for the world Cup because they also were seen to be mistreating the lgbtq+ community. For example in chechyna where some lgbtq people were trying to escape from abuse. This would make lgbtq people not feel safe to go to these events. Should we let a country with different views from our own host, where is the line? 🧐
This is such a big event which happens every four years, but is it really worth it to be held in another country every single time? I understand how this huge event puts the spotlight on the country that hosts it, but at the same time, this big amount of money could be used for something else. With the money spent in Qatar, the world hunger could end for four months. Maybe for some people, it doesn't seem to do too much, but it could really change the state of our world. Where as these football matches will last about one month, how can we actually compare this to stopping world hunger for four months? At this big event, the people benefiting from it will be the ones who have the money to come to this event. No poor people will be able to come. Overall, if the Qatari government will change the law a little for this, then they might make human rights an important part of their country. Even if I don't understand why it is necessary for multiple countries to host the event, this big amount of money could be really worth it, if they keep developing some things after the event too. Another example of a host country who were criticised in the past would be South Korea. This country was chosen to be a host, but at the very last minute. I think the way the decision was made at the very last minute looked not only suspicious, but also unprofessional.
Thank you for your comment memorable_cookie! You seem to have very strong opinions on this topic. Can you explain why you feel the last minute decision made about South Korea looked suspicious?
I believe this controversy is unnecessary because in my opinion Qatar won't listen to us and they will continue doing what they think is correct. The only way we can change something is by telling FIFA to change their minds. I don't believe any country should be able to host the world cup because it's really hard to get to some countries and some countries have very warm or cold conditions, causing fifa to have to change the time the world cup will be hosted at. People could just not go to the world cup or ttelll fifa not to go host the world cup in that country. Russia wanted to host the world cup, even though they were and seen to be mistreating LGBT people. For those reasons, the world cup should not have been hosted there, and many people were mad. There were also other controversies like the Russian football team using steroids and how an agent from a British intelligence agency was poisoned. The situation with Qatar is different than other times because they are a small country and their decisions seemingly don't impact the world as much as Russia, which is really big.
I’m interested to hear more from you fun_rainforest Can you say a bit more about why the situation with Qatar hosting the World Cup is different from Russia, as they have the same ideas about the LGBTQ communities?
1️⃣ I think that this controversy is a logical one beacuse, first of all, it is the first time when the World Cup is being held in The Middle East. Second of all, they spend 300 billion dollars to evolve and build the World Cup.
In conclusion, there are a lot of new things and possibilities that cause these controversies.
2️⃣ About this... I think that all the countries can have a chance at hosting the World Cup but in the same time, countries who don't have the money or the possibilities to host the event, shouldn't!
3️⃣ I might think that, people could speak up about the controversy and maybe fix but if they can't, they can make sure stuff like this never happens again.
I believe that hosting Qatar or others in the World Cup is a legitimate right, as long as it is a recognized country, and we should not put Qatar in the corner of refusing to participate because it does not implement some human rights. It would affect the change of Qatar's steps in the field of human rights and make it compete with international countries in the application of human rights to enter the world and become a desired country and a role model for many countries. Finally, Qatar's participation can be an opportunity for it and a positive impact in the field of human rights.
Hi Best_Groundhog - it would be good if there are positive effects for human rights in Qatar as a result of hosting the World Cup. Could you say why or how you think the human rights position in Qatar could change?
Indeed, Qatar's hosting of the World Cup is a golden opportunity to enter the world with a civilized face that preserves human rights by addressing fundamental issues and freedoms that affect the world's view of it in this field. Qatar must take advantage of this hosting by bringing about a quantum leap in the culture of development on all human and human rights levels. We have noticed that Qatar has started reforms since it came out to host the World Cup. It should be the beginning of pushing towards building long-term positive bases with regard to human rights. The World Cup was a world of sharing cultures and religions and the involvement of peoples. Therefore, Qatar will remain in the world’s trust and will even work for change. And the reform is to always remain keen on the civilizational glow and its entry into global and international competitions to be equal to the developed and trustworthy countries...
Hi best_groundhog,
Thank you for your comment, I agree the World Cup presents an opportunity for Qatar to take steps in addressing human rights abuses. What changes can you think of that Qatar need to make to effect a positive impact in the field of human rights?
What is required of Qatar is to address many of the rules of freedoms in its country. Perhaps many of the human rights problems in Qatar are visible on the surface and in the media, such as the issue of foreign workers, women’s rights, freedom of expression and the press, and LGBT issues. The international community must help Qatar with these reforms through its participation in An international agreement concerned with human rights to ensure that it is able to advance the ladder of freedoms and human rights
hello today the impact of qatar already there is air pollution , we've stadiums job creation and no more public transport we have more hotels now i'm going to talk to you about
Concerning the negative impacts of the organization of the football World Cup in Qatar, there is air pollution because of the air conditioning, noise pollution because of the traffic jam, and finally a lot of epidemics.
Concerning the positive impacts, there is job creation for the building of the stadiums and hotels, more public transportation for the citizens, more hotels for tourists ...
I agree with the idea that the world cup shouldn't be hosted in Qatar; Whilst there isn't an 'ideal' country to host the world cup, Qatar is far from being suitable. This is because of many reasons; One of these would be the many human rights violations, like the illegality of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. A common defense of this I've heard (regarding the LGBTQ+) is that it is an issue of western culture vs the rest of the world. The problem with this defense is that there may be a difference in culture but that is irrelevant regarding human rights; Culture cannot be used as an excuse to violate human rights. This defense is also moot in argument with the inequality of women's rights in Qatar. Furthermore, Qatar has an equality index of 13/100 which is one of the lowest in the world showing Qatar is one of the largest offenders regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Qatar is also rife with slavery and worker rights violations; 6,500~ workers died building the world cup stadium. I believe that the most effective way to show your disagreement with the world cup being in Qatar is boycotting; This could be through raising awareness of the human rights violations on social media or not watching the world cup at all.
Hi Cultured_Watermelon - thanks for giving us your opinion that people should boycott the World Cup. There are a number of sporting events in Qatar - should all of these events be boycotted or is there a reason why you would single out the World Cup?
Boycotting the other events could also be effective, but I believe the World Cup would be the most effective; this is due to its great significance globally.
I disagree with this controversy from my point of view that Qatar is suitable to receive the World Cup. People say that Qatar is too hot and that it will be difficult for players, but Qatar has put cooling devices in the stadiums. The weather in November is beautiful and not hot and about strict laws.Against the LGBT community in Qatar this is because Qatar is an Islamic state and in our religion Islam deprives that Qatar has spent a lot of money building luxurious and beautiful sports stadiums and has succeeded in thatI received players in the most luxurious hotels.
Hi Poetic_Banana - you flag the importance of the World Cup being in Qatar for the Arab community. Given the criticism which Qatar has received, do you think it would impact the decision of Arab countries in the future to bid for the World Cup?
No one is a fixed or self-esteemed controller of a game. A game is to share love with each other as human beings. So, shun away the perspective that a certain continent, region, or country is the only master of a game event. A country would show its willingness to hold an event if and only if it is capable of it. So, the world cup can be held even in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, or other such small countries, if they are able to hold it. So, I think there should be no controversy. If any I do not sustain it. A game can be held anywhere with grand consensus.
People should welcome instead.
Yes, I do not like that controversy arises on this issue, as every country has the right to develop itself and its reputation among other countries. Yes, although Qatar is the first Arab country in the Middle East to host, for the first time, the World Cup, should any country be allowed to host a major sporting event such as the World Cup? ? In my opinion, yes, if the necessary conditions for hosting are met. The reason for the controversy is that everyone wants this hosting to be in their country
Perhaps this is a controversial opinion, but I don’t think there should be dispute about Qatar hosting the World Cup. Firstly, regarding human rights - specifically LGBTQ rights. Qatar is an islamic country, which means it’s laws are heavily influenced by the preachings of Islam. This is most definitely not a bad thing, and I think it’s high time we stop trying to make it seem like it is. As a society, we must accept that not everyone is going to be accepting of everything - it’s the whole concept of boundaries. No matter what, unless Qatar wants to change their laws, nothing in the world is going to force them to do so. As for the matter of journalists being jailed - it’s horrible. But I need people to think - will stopping Qatar from hosting the World Cup do anything about this? No. If anything, the World Cup will bring much needed attention to these cases. It already has.
Last but not least, the weather in Qatar is not a valid reason for the country to not host. People are just trying endlessly to find reasons to stop this. Qatar is the first country in the middle east to hold the World cup - and that’s a record that will go down in history. I do wish the country had gone about it in a better way. For example, better working conditions for people working in the stadium. In the end, though, Qatar is holding the world cup and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Do you think events like the World Cup change the host country? Can sports events like this help improve relationships between people and countries with different views?
Hi @easygoing_writer - really thoughtful comment.
Interesting you mention that 'nothing in the world is going to force' Qatar to change their laws. I am intrigued to hear your thoughts on what the drivers for legal change are?
Across Western and Eastern jurisdictions we have seen concerted civil rights movements ignite lasting legal change. Might you consider the possibility that the World Cup attention invites support for minority Qatari civil rights movements that go on to 'force' legal change?
I share the same opinion. You’re absolutely right!
This topic has sparked a lot of controversy because of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar
In every country there are laws, whether the country is Muslim or foreign, everyone must respect them. Qatar refused homosexuals. It is inappropriate to raise the flag of homosexuality in an Islamic country, or to make inappropriate movements in the match. It is an inappropriate place for that. Qatar also refused to drink alcohol in Qatar. I have seen in Previous World Cup matches are people who drank to the point of intoxication, which leads to problems with others and annoys them. For me, I think this decision is very wonderful, which helped in organizing the match. I watched the World Cup. All people were welcomed properly from all countries, and the opening of the World Cup was very beautiful, so any country can host The World Cup event if it can take this responsibility Disagreements over where to host the World Cup 1 can be resolved by knowing what people are against and choosing a country that satisfies both parties in all respects.
2 Choose the country that has the responsibility to make satisfactory laws
And a country was not chosen to any extent due to the diversity of countries..
Hey @centered_robin. Do you think there should be more alcohol free sporting events? and why?
What do you think was the most impactful part of the opening ceremony?
World Cup, formally FIFA World Cup, in football (soccer), quadrennial tournament of men’s national teams that determines the sport’s world champion. It is likely the most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of television viewers every tournament. The equivalent event for women’s national football teams is the Women’s World Cup.
Hosting the world cup in Qatar was a HUGE mistake, the original intent was to give everyone a better opinion of the middle east, but it has actually damaged the image of the middle east, several protests are happening in Qatar and people are angry at Fifa, for corruption and money laundering. In my opinion, it should be in a more democratic country, EG: Germany, France, Denmark or even Canada.
Hi @inspired_acorn. Do you think there should be more sporting events in non western countries? One of the arguments for hosting in Quatar was that this was the first world cup in a middle eastern country and gives a spotlight on the middle east and other areas of the world which are normally forgotten about in favour of the west. Where do you think outside of the west would be a suitable place to host a big sporting event?
- What do you think about the controversy?
I feel like that I would have to agree with the controversy. People have the rights to worry about Qatar's human rights and disagree that Qatar shouldn't be able to host it. Their laws about LGBTQ+ are very strict and aggressive, also women have quite a fragile reputation in the middle eastern countries. Also, they did send thousands of immigrants to work in poor conditions, which just adds more fuel to the fire.
Challenge question:
Qatar is the first middle eastern country to host the world cup, which is a bit different than other countries. They have a very hot climate, very strict laws about human rights and also, being a middle eastern country, it has a quite bad reputation.
You say that middle eastern countries have bad reputations. Is this fair to say? What assumptions have you made here and what perspectives have you not considered?
In my opinion this controversy is valid because Qatar has indeed problems with the environment and the necessities for the world cup. The environment is very hot and is hard for the players to play. Because of this the grass is very dry too and it needs constant care. Plus the neighbours of Qatar have a conflict going on where there had been a blockade from their neighbours. And indeed they agreed to stop while the Cup is hdld but people can never be sure.
Not every country should be allowed to host a World Cup because if they don't have what they need or are in a war situation like Ukraine and Russia is impossible to be hold.
If people or the teams disagree they should just not go. This sends the biggest message.
The situation with Qatar can be compared with the World Cup 2018 in Russia because both were criticised over their human rights. For example, Russian doesn't support LGBTQ and were criticsed about this too.
I believe that people have a reason to be controversial about Qatar beeing the host of FIFA World Cup because of the human rights issues and the strict rules in the country. I know a man that was submitted to prison for 3 months because he accidentally touched a Qatar citizen.
I don't belive that any country should be hosting the World Cup because it might have political conflicts or it doesn't have the conditions to attend it.
If the people or the teams would disagree with where the event would be sustained they just wouldn't go.
Qatar is not the first host country being criticised for example - Russia was criticised in 2014 Winter Olympics because of the lack of political stability and goverrnance, and the safety and human rights of LGBT athletes and journalist, in light of Russia's gay propaganda laws which started protests from other countries. The difference is that Russia was overshadowed by the aftermath. I think Qatar will face greater criticism after.
I think this situation with the Qatar controversy is a little bit different to the Chinese Olympics because the people who participated at the Olympics in China said that they felt like they are in jail. But in Qatar, the situation is more severe than the Chinese, people don’t have any rights and if you support LGBT community or behave like they consider wrong you can be arrested or executed.
Try not to make exaggerated statements. For example, it's not true that people in Qatar don't have any rights.
I wasn't that sure about Qatar hosting because of the LBGTQ issues.
But at the same time this is the first middle eastern country to host a world cup so it would be nice for it to happen.
As well though I don't think their getting payed enough and it is quite hot and busy.
I think it should be in another country because most football player's support the LGBTQ+ community and Quatro don't support it. So that is not good. Also the things they are doing do not help the Environment surly they shoulde reuse it
When controversies were in progress, Qatar asked one question to all opponents: "When you go to a country, do you abide by the local laws or not?" So, a culture or law of the land should not be the victim of controversy. A controversy is gone if we respect each other instead of criticizing. What if everyone criticizes each other? Will this world remain a place of peace? Surely no! Respect others as you would like to be respected.
I think that Qatar shouldn’t get to host the World Cup because of the laws against LGBTQ . They also spent $300,000,000 on it and might not even use it after.
I disagree that the world cup should be in Qatar.I think this because of the human rights issues and the heat, I do know that Qatar have changed the world cup date because of the heat. But I still think that it should be in a different country because it is still too hot. Anyway, going onto the human rights issues. I think that you can't really blame them because of their religion, but I still don't agree with their laws of being homophobic and other things like that
I think this controversy is needed because many people have different opinions.
I think that any country that follows a certain criteria should be allowed to host a big sports event, because if the country is paying it's workers and is following human rights, they should be allowed to host the tournament.
I was on the Live Topical Talk and my class mostly agreed that fans might boycott the tournament, which I think would be really successful, because if Qatar is not following human rights and is jailing journalists who speak out( this is called censorship) the fans might decide to not come which would make Qatar have spent 300 billion dollars on absolutely nothing. It may also force Qatar to become a better country.
Some people think that Qatar bribed the FIFA company to change the results, because Qatar isn't even in the top 100 teams.
In m'y opinion , i disagree with the fact that the lgbtq+ community is considered something forbidden
I think that the lgbtq + community can go to see the match like everyone
I think there is many people who are in the community but they hide it because they are afraid
In my opinion, I believe that the entire dispute around Qatar hosting the World Cup is entirely unnecessary. Understandably, people that are a part of the LGBTQ community are upset due to the fact that them living their life, out in Qatar, is illegal. However, what people also need to understand is that not everybody will like or accept it. It is well known that Qatar is an Islamic country that guides its laws according to the Quran. Is it a bad thing that they rule according to their religious scripture? Absolutely not, and we as a society need to stop trying to make it look like it is. The same way people would want to be respected for being part of the LGBTQ community is the same way people in Qatar want to be respected for their beliefs. Regarding the jailing of journalists, I think it’s plain to see that Qatar is in the wrong for that. Jailing journalists for doing their job is completely unacceptable and I can see where a lot of people’s frustration may stem. However, will stopping them from hosting the World Cup make it better? No, it won’t. In fact, I believe it will make it worse because more journalists will want to report on it, which will lead to more journalists being jailed, and I’m pretty sure nobody would want that. Finally, as regards the weather, I think it's absolutely ridiculous that some people genuinely want them to seize the hosting of the World Cup, due to something they can’t control. The weather is being compared to European countries where the temperature rarely passes 30 degrees celsius, however, when compared to African countries, such as Nigeria, where I live, the weather is okay for playing conditions. Should any country host the world cup? No. Especially if the country is a developing country that is struggling to sustain its own citizens. If a country like that were to host the World Cup, it would fall apart pretty quickly. This is because they wouldn’t be able to provide a lot of necessities needed by the players and audience. They would also struggle to keep the crowd controlled because as we can see, the World Cup is an extremely popular event that would bring people from different countries to one place. If that one place can’t handle the thousands of people that come to watch matches, the results could be detrimental. In conclusion, the entire controversy is just unnecessary. Obviously, people want their rights but they need to understand that not everywhere is as accepting as some of those developed countries.
Sometimes there are situations where what one person sees as their right, can negatively affect another person's rights. Are some rights more important that others?
I understand why Qatar doesn’t support LGBTQ+ community. I think it would be nice if people from the LGBTQ+ community acted in Qatar by respecting the views of the Qatari people.
It would be better for everyone if LGBTQ+ people didn’t protest while in Qatar and if they showed respect to the Qatari people, by not showing their sexual orientation.
( I would like to state that I believe that it is normal to take religions into account in events. I’m pretty sure this a debatable topic..)
And likewise the people of Qatar;
It would be much better if the people of Qatar treat the LGBTQ+ community as they treat all other people, do not discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community and create an environment where the LGBTQ+ community can feel comfortable and not feel excluded .
In short, I believe that the important thing is that both parties respect each other.
Thank you for laying out how you see both sides of this situation @articulate_bird.
You write that while the host nation should stop discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community, visitors for now should respect Qatari views and be discreet. Other people argue that this issue is not about views or opinions but about human rights. Is it always possible to respect both?
What do you think about the social and political legacy of events like this? What is the impact when people from all over the world visit an unfamiliar country for the first time, or when people like us have discussions like this?
I THINK THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR because the WHOLE world have the right of see the matchES no matter theIR religion. I would like that racist people GET punished and my opinion is that people ARE very INTOLERANT.
i think the LGBTQ+community should have the right to watch the world cup in Qatar bu they should not show their sexual orientation explicitly because they must respect the culture and religion in Qatar
Can you think of situations when traditions or cultures might conflict with human rights? When that happens, is it possible to respect both?
the decision to hold the world cup in Qatar isn't very good because loads of people say that the country should not be allowed to due to human right issues. workers who had to build the stadiums got treated very badly.
How do you think that hosting a big sporting occasion like a World Cup could change the host country @intrepid_sea? What could be the impact when people from all over the world visit the country, watch on television and have conversations like this one?
How can a country accommodate foreigners (even for 28 days) when it’s own people do not feel welcome and comfortable? Charity begins at home and in my opinion Qatar should abide by that principle. A country with the orthodox and narrow mindset should not have been given the rights to host the world cup. The FIFA should have eliminated the country strictly on the basis of human rights abuse because such stringent laws have no room in the contemporary era. According to me, situation of Qatar and China is quite similar. The Chinese government was cruel in more ways than one, to the world and to its citizens. Countries which run away from accountability and the need for modernisation don’t deserve to be associated with something as prestigious as the FIFA worldcup or the Olympics. Countries first need to make themselves capable enough, only then can they make sure that the 16 billion expectant eyes on them during the tournament are not let down.
I totally disagree with the restrictions Qatar takes with the rainbow community, forbidding their presence. The LGBTQ+ people should not be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. They didn't choose this. The Qatar government should not kill people for something they can't control. A person can be a muslim and belong to the LGBTQ+ community because having feelings for a person from the same gendee isn't a sin and can't be controled. The tourists who come in Qatar are there only to watch football. And if the Qatari autorities were to change the laws for the tourists to accept the LGBTQ+ community during the World Cup, they would dicriminate the residents LGBTQ+ in Qatar which would generate another form of inequality. To my mind, FIFA has given the world cup 2022 TO Qatar regardless OF the humans rights.
Absolutely @generous_flute, people from all backgrounds including in Qatar itself belong to the LGBTQ+ community and sexual orientation is not a choice. Bear in mind that LGBTQ+ fans (or locals) have not actually been banned from Qatar or the World Cup, but all visitors have been asked to be "discreet" in public.
What do you think fans or teams should do if they disagree with where an event like this is hosted?
Do you think hosting this event will change Qatar? How?
I believe Qatar won't change after the world cup because there aren't enough of coutterattacks. The world speak about that 4 or 5 months before the world cup whatever Qatar have the world cup since 2010 and nobody talk and when they start to talk about this all the stadiums are the hotels will build so it's too late. Therefore i think they should start the boycott more early.
I think it is always good to give people chances to do new things and they learn. For example Qatar has started changing some of its policies because people who were coming to watch the world cup had already disagreed with it hosting due to some of their policies and so they decided to change them and that's a good effect for giving Qatar the chance to host.
In my opinion not every country qualifies to host big sporting events like world cup because some countries' stadiums don't reach the quality of world cup for example Uganda, my country for the standard of its stadiums, only one of them can be used of which it is not that sufficient so hosting big sporting events like world cup requires a country with a standard stadium, standard accommodation, and social service eg. transport.
If people or teams disagree with where an event is hosted, they can do the following;
- look at why they are disagreeing to the suggested venue .
-then they can look at possible solutions to what is causing the disagreement about where to host the event.
-if they can't get a solution to the cause of the disagreement, then they can try to change the venue if possible but if not, they just have to withstand.
Great ideas @lovely_language. Do you think big sporting events like this change the host nation? What do you think will be the legacy of the World Cup?
Qatar hosted the World Cup, as it cost Qatar a lot to host such a big event other than the cost of the sports stadium. Other expenses were spent, such as repairing streets, developing roads, and working on and developing tourist hotels. It cost a lot of money to host the World Cup and in terms of climate. The World Cup times of the year were set at times when the weather was from mild to warm, away from the summer heat, and it was a good choice.
I agree with the host country because these has opened an exciting opportunity for them to host such a big event and also to contest in it. This event has also made an opportunity for citizens of Qatar to participate in football. The world cup being held their is also going to open doors for tourism, economic partnership and also a good source of government revenue. It also advertises how technological Qatar has gone(Lusail Stadium ).
I disagree with you because, in my opinion, Qatar should not host the World Cup because it does not respect human rights, environmental issues and the working conditions of migrant workers. Qatar can only host the World Cup economically and not morally
Considering that I love football and wish to go to Qatar to attend the World Cup 2022, but as a Palestinian citizen it is not easy to obtain a visa to go to Qatar, and this is a reason that encourages me to say: Why does Palestine not host the next World Cup, but this thing is impossible in light of the economic conditions political and material. But if the World Cup is held in Palestine, this will return to my country with many benefits and positives, that is, the world will recognize it and it will become a country full of tourists, and we will have the opportunity to participate in the global tournament. The cup and enjoy watching it, as well as raising the general economy of my country, Palestine, and presenting the culture and history of my country to tourists,
Wish things turn around very soon and your country gets to host an event like FIFA. One step towards such vision and direction would definitely uplift the mood of the nation.
One positive step would lead to another and thus, slowly it becomes progressive in nature. Trade, Tourism would start to boom.
I don’t agree with the World Cup being held in Qatar due to the controversy and issues going on eg:sustainability of equipment or how they come to harsh terms for community’s like LGBTQ+ or even not fairly deserving to be chosen
Hi lovely_alligator, thank you for your comment. I'm interested to hear more about why you think Qatar was not fairly chosen to host the World Cup. Can you give some evidence to support your opinion?
There are several reasons for which Qatar shouldn't have hosted the FIFA World Cup.
1. Because of its extreme weather conditions, the stadiums have to have enhanced cooling system. Thus, once again an event of this scale contributing to emission of greenhouse gases and climate change.
2. For most countries, Football is their religion. They breathe the game. Given that, it would only be natural for them to witness the event of this grand scale. However, with Qatar known for its strict rules and restrictions, it has been spoiling the mood of the audience.
3. While consumption of alcohol is wrong in their country, they cannot force others to follow too, especially in an event like FIFA. If that be the case, why should they even bid to host
4. So is their laws on LGBTQ community. While no body says anything against their laws for their countrymen, when you welcome all to your country to watch the most awaited event of the Globe, it is essential that you don't force your rules, laws on them.
5. This country is also known for its human rights violation. How many stories we have heard in our country, as to how they exploit the migrant workers. Paying them pittance, treating them much worse than any living species, unimaginable working hours and living conditions!
Qatar shouldn't be hosting FIFA. It has only opened up can of worms!
Similarly, like China, which is known for being a closed country, with strict rules and laws, Qatar too is a country which is unfit to host such global events. Money has taken over mankind.
I think that it shouldn't be held in Qatar because the weather is too hot and the players might run out of energy
People is dying whilst working to build the stadium in Qatar
1. What do you think about the controversy? Why?
I think Qatar should not have been allowed to host the World Cup because they said they made improvements for their country. Indeed, they improved their infrastructure: they built highways, stadiums and other facilities. But they still have to improve the human rights and life conditions and make the country a better place not only for families with big or medium incomes, but also for poor people and people from minorities.
2. Should any country be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup? Why or why not?
I do not think any country should be allowed to host a big sporting event like the World Cup because poor countries and countries facing disasters have other, more urgent problems to spend money on(if they even have the money), and I am pretty sure hosting such an extravagant and big event is not their top priority.
3. What could people or teams do if they disagree with where an event is hosted?
If they disagree with where an event is hosted, people or teams could protest on social media, write to FIFA and justify their answers, but not using violence or insults.
Challenge question:
One other example could be Russia, who was criticised at the Winter Olympics in 2014 for their strict measures against the LGBT. I do not think the situation in Qatar is different to what happened with Russia.
Also, in the lesson we have also learned about the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Qatar, and it made me think about the years before World War One, when Serbia was in a similar situation. Austria Hungary, on wich Serbia was sligthly dependent, imposed a trade embargo because they were afraid that Serbia would become too strong. But, that embargo, instead of damaging the Serbians’ economy, improved it, as Serbia founded new trade routes and comercial agreements with other countries. The same thing happened to Qatar.
Fantastic link to a similar historical event illuminate_chameleon!
I actually feel it is not just about hosting anywhere. Every country should be given the chance to host. There are many people who would love to go to the world cup, but they cannot, why? because for instance, here in Nigeria the economy is not easy and paying for Visa is really expensive and not everyone can afford to pay for a Visa to travel to another country.
funny_lute do you think there could be different rules for tourists?
I believe that holding the world cup in Qatar is a bad idea because it genrales noise pollutions and the air conditioning is not very good for the planet.
To my mind, it could shill be a good idea from a buisines point of view because there are more tourists more hotels, and consequently are more and more jobs available.
im not sure it is a good idea for Qatar to host the world cup the human rights issuse are a problem
I personally agree because i believe that Qatar shouldn't be a suitable country in the world cup because of all the controversy surrounding it, I think that a massive group of people have been left out of going to the world cup just because of their sexuality, as someone who is a part of the LGBT community, I think it's really not fair to a massive proportion of people who do support the teams who play in the world cup and how they can't go to support them, Qatar isn't suitable either because the country's really small for millions of people to go watch the world cup and imagine how the locals would feel who live in Qatar. I believe that someone will always have a different view to the world cup and i do think we should all be respectful about it.
I do not agree to host the World Cup in Qatar because of Qatar's violation of human rights and that it is not one of the top 10 countries in the world, the temperature of the weather is high and it does not have a global sports façade.
I think that Germany should host the World Cup because it won 4 tournaments in the World Cup and is one of the top 10 countries in the world and it is the only country in the world to win the World Cup for women and men and that its stadiums are large
If only the top football nations host the world cup, is it really inclusive? How can other nations get better and spread football in their areas if it's kept to certain nations?
I don't agree with people who say that Qatar is not the suitable place to host the world cup. why cant Qatar host it ?
because of the high temperature it's not a significant reason as it is being held in winter , which will solve the heat problem, on the contrary, the weather will be just fine.
Second reason is , Qatar is an Islamic country and strict Islamic law doesn't accept LGBTQ so that why they don't allow it. The whole world should learn to accept and respect the differences between our beliefs, cultures and traditions,
You can't go to any European country and ask it to change it's rules because it doesn't suit you or your beliefs.. so if the fifa gave Qatar this chance to host the football world cup then we all should accept to visit this beautiful country and respect its culture and beliefs.
It is a big opportunity and Qatar has done well so far, they have improved many things , built a lot of stadiums and hotels and they spent more than 220 billion. its a huge amount of money. do you think Qatar would have build all of that without the world cup. I think no and due to this their economical state will suffer if we prevent them from the benefits of the event they did a great deal to present in a very professional way.
I think that Qatar hosting the World Cup isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as they can respect the beliefs of other countries who do support the LGBTQ community. If you're not willing to be flexible with your beliefs, why host a major sporting event where you're going to run into different opinions? I think that it's important to let the players and fans be proud of their beliefs, opinions and sexual orientation, no matter where they are.
I think this controversy is needed because many people have different opinions.
I think that any country that follows a certain criteria should be allowed to host a big sports event, because if the country is paying it's workers and is following human rights, they should be allowed to host the tournament.
I was on the Live Topical Talk and my class mostly agreed that fans might boycott the tournament, which I think would be really successful, because if Qatar is not following human rights and is jailing journalists who speak out( this is called censorship) the fans might decide to not come which would make Qatar have spent 300 billion dollars on absolutely nothing. It may also force Qatar to become a better country.
Some people think that Qatar bribed the FIFA company to change the results, because Qatar isn't even in the top 100 teams.
I agree because Quatar is a middle eastern country where the climate is not suitable for Europeans to play football as most of the nations in the wc are European nations
World Cup is a time of celebrations by partying, drinks and music. However none of these are allowed and hence reducing the overall joy of the world for which people had to wait for 4 years. People might argue that it is Quatar's culture and we should not destroy it. If this is the case, then the world cup should not have been hosted in Quatar itself in the first place.
Club seasons are scheduled in world cup years and organized keeping in mind the world cup. Due to the extreme climate in Quatar, the world cup has been shifted to November and hence hampering the schedules of major leagues in the world. Due to this many important players for teams have missed the world cup due to injury. For example Sadio Mane for Senegal who was the reason for Senegal's qualification in this world cup. This happened because he was playing the Bundesliga and the Champions league and its seasons just ended before the world cup
I think that they are going to tumble and crumble the old hotels to pieces clean it up and after the whole World Cup they will nock everything down and that will be 500million wasted
I believe that this controversy needs to be stopped immediately! Personally I think this because people in Qatar violate many human rights. Even though the FIFA World Cup is nearly over, and it is amazing that it is the first Arab country to hold a big sporting event like this, it is unbelievable how they do not support the LGBTQ+ community, spent billions of pounds on the stadiums and underpay their workers and that some people are ok with that. We should have never let this happen as that is how much people are in disbelief including me!!! Something that interested me was when my classmate fiery_raisin said "if we continue to let this happen and keep showing Qatar that they need to be more equal they might learn their lesson and start showing everyone respect." Another point that also shocked me was when Harry Kane tried to wear his armband and they said if he did they would give him a yellow card. I think Qatar need to learn from their mistakes and start treating everyone with kindness!