How the hell did Qatar win the right to host the World Cup?

[Pavilionaire]

The Michel Platini Qatar Q&A World Cup Checklist:

1. Got any Stadiums? No
2. Got any Hotels? No.
3. Got any Pubs / Restaurants? No.
4. Got any football teams? No.
5. Got any people in your country? Yes, we're the save size as Slovenia.
6. What's the weather like? Er,...

 

[Guinness Boy]

, and they get paid in Doha.

Actually if you had lowered your standards for a second and read the piece you'd see that one of the major problems is that they don't get paid.....

 

[User removed 4]

South Africa yes but after the Rugby world cup i was expecting less exploitation and more parity. Brazil yes but the will of the people is slowly and finally starting to come together to fight the huge social disparity within the country. Russia no it maybe a lot of things but exploitation of labour and poor to such a degree shouldn't be an issue.

You distinctly specified human rights abuses , which still happen in all three countries I mentioned, they shot strikers dead in South Africa ffs.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

The whole bidding process stinks. All the time Blatter is involved I suspect things won't change. FIFA needs purging, just like the IOC did.

There was a good article by Matthew Syed in The Times recently, trying to take the lid off the world cup bidding process but pointing out that Platini has threatened legal action (bring it on I say, I'd like to see FIFA / UEFA called to public account) against journalists who question this. There are suggestions the trail goes back to President Sarkozy who allegedly secured investments in France (PSG etc) in return for supporting Qatar.

I hope the Aussies are successful in their lawsuit over the $43m. they spent on their bid only for the Qatar thing now to be switched to the Winter, which changed the bidding rules after the event.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

they shot strikers dead in South Africa ffs.

Shhhhhh..... dont mention that, we are now turning a blind eye to that kinda stuff in South Africa, because at least those awful white chappies do not run the country anymore.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Chances are there were some kind of back handers, but there are plenty of reasons why it SHOULD host the World Cup - including the fact the Middle East never has before, and Qatar easily has the money and infrastructure to make it a bloody good one.

In my opinion the only place in the World more deserving of a World Cup is Australia.

So, with Australia having bid for the same world cup the O.P's point is still pertinent, no? How did Qatar -without any stadiums or infrastructure and its 50 degree summer heat- beat the more deserving Australia? Particularly now that having won it, everyone is admitting that a world cup there in summer isn't really practicable and that maybe a winter world cup would be best. Why is that only a consideration now the process is over?

 

[stripeyshark]

Q: How did Qatar win the right to host the World Cup?

A:

This. More "bought" than won.

 

[Doc Lynam]

You distinctly specified human rights abuses , which still happen in all three countries I mentioned, they shot strikers dead in South Africa ffs.

I hadn't heard about this story was it after the World Cup in SA? My point is still the same yes i do and did have issue's with SA hosting.

 

[The Birdman]

We have the stadiums ,we have the fans, we love the game , we are great putting events on and we have had the World Cup only once! We need to start to bribe Blatter !!!!! We should boycott this corrupt tournament!

 

[strings]

This has been doing the rounds on twitter this afternoon. Supposedly it is copied from the FIFA risk assessment of all countries bidding for the 2018 and 2022 world cups.

 

[pork pie]

You got two parts of that statement correct...Yes they have the money and yes Australia should have got it.

However, how on earth can you say it has the infrastructure to hold a World Cup?...the fact that it has to employ foreign workers and treat them as slave labourers is proof that they don't have the infrastructure.

What is going to happen to these lovely stadiums? You've only got to look at South Africa as an example...

The stadiums around the country are never used and the cost of the build for each one still has not been paid...In fact, they are looking for some of them to be demolished. It will be the same in Qatar.

Also, I'm surprised you mention the fact that the middle east has never held the world cup before...Whilst you are right, you are being too generalised with this comment...You cannot compare Qatar, a hugely oil rich nation with Egypt, Morocco, or even Iran as like Bahrain, it lives in a bubble.

I cannot think of any WORSE places to hold a world cup...At least with is being held in Russia, it is opening up football and new stadia to a country of millions who can build a heritage of the game. Having it in Qatar is never going to set a legacy of soccer in the Middle East and also won't also encourage millions of young Arabic players to take up playing football!

I think you have answered your own point there mate!

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

This has been doing the rounds on twitter this afternoon. Supposedly it is copied from the FIFA risk assessment of all countries bidding for the 2018 and 2022 world cups.

If I were a judge, from that information it would be between japan and usa however they have had it since us and we must be logical next along with spain with only two medium risks and spain had it in 82 so it should have been us

 

[GingerBeerMan]

A Spain&Portugal split would have been great.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Qatar is going to effectively build a "football city" from scratch on what is currently desert - and it is willing to and has the resources to pay for it. Australia, like most other major countries, has to build around its existing cities. So in that way Qatar is more ideal.

In regards to the heat, the games will all be played at night (so wouldn't be 50 degrees anyway) and in air conditioned stadiums. It's definitely not ideal, but just because a region is hot, doesn't mean it doesn't have the right to host a World Cup.

I wonder if the workers building the stadiums are working at night or in air conditioned stadiums...... The rich get richer and they feather other rich peoples nest all on the back of poor people...

I thought football was the peoples game, seems less and less that is the case.

TV Stations, and rich oligarchs run football on their terms alone.

 

[Jim Van Winkle]

I agree it is absolutely shocking - but go to the UAE or any of those rich oil nations and you will see the same thing in all of their construction projects.

If anything, the global public awareness that their hosting it is creating will help bring their workers' rights up to 21st century standards, hopefully.

Pretty much how Dubai has been built.

I went to Dubai about 11 or so years ago and the majority of the construction work was being carried out by an Indian workforce picking up around 20p a day.

I am not surprised Qatar has outsourced this very cheap labour from Nepal. And do I expect Fifa to do anything about these workers conditions - NO I don't. Because as long as the brown envelopes and free lunches keep coming they really don't give two $hits.

 

[pork pie]

I wonder if the workers building the stadiums are working at night or in air conditioned stadiums...... The rich get richer and they feather other rich peoples nest all on the back of poor people...

I thought football was the peoples game, seems less and less that is the case.

TV Stations, and rich oligarchs run football on their terms alone.

You really do not understand do you?

These people from the third world CHOOSE to work in the GCC to get money that is not available to them at home. They come from hot countries, and are used to the heat, and come from worse living conditions at home. At the height of the summer, they work at the cooler times. It is a win-win situation.

Oh, and don't worry, the site offices will have nice cool aircon.

 

[BadFish]

I am of the same sort of thinking. Had they not got the World Cup either no one would have reported this or it would have been tucked away somewhere in the middle of the paper

Also, no matter where in the world got the tournament this sort of thing would have been found or some other scandal. As a nation I feel we thrive off this sort of reporting as it further adds to the fact we feel it was unfair we didn't get it

Personally this didn't cross my mind, I was more thinking that it was unfair that these poor people are being exploited and treated as slave labour so the rest of us can watch some games of football.

 

[BadFish]

Qatar is going to effectively build a "football city" from scratch on what is currently desert - and it is willing to and has the resources to pay for it. Australia, like most other major countries, has to build around its existing cities. So in that way Qatar is more ideal.

In regards to the heat, the games will all be played at night (so wouldn't be 50 degrees anyway) and in air conditioned stadiums. It's definitely not ideal, but just because a region is hot, doesn't mean it doesn't have the right to host a World Cup.

It may have the resources to pay for it but according to the article it is not paying it's workers.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

You really do not understand do you?

These people from the third world CHOOSE to work in the GCC to get money that is not available to them at home. They come from hot countries, and are used to the heat, and come from worse living conditions at home. At the height of the summer, they work at the cooler times. It is a win-win situation.

Oh, and don't worry, the site offices will have nice cool aircon.

Porkie I understand that they come from hot counties etc etc but it does not make it right, I would be interested to know the death rate, we all know what health and safety would close the site down in this country.

 

[pork pie]

Actually if you had lowered your standards for a second and read the piece you'd see that one of the major problems is that they don't get paid.....

They will get paid, it may just be a little late.