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.