Photograph: Michael Regan/Fifa/Getty Images Lusail National Stadium in Qatar as it nears completion before the 2022 World Cup. But analysts suggest most fans will not focus on these issues, which could make Qatar 2022 the most successful example of “sports-washing” to date. The Guardian revealed that at least 6,500 workers have died since Qatar got the nod from Fifa in 2010, killed while building seven new stadiums, roads and hotels, and a new airport.Ĭoncerns will also persist about Qatar’s illiberal attitude to free speech and women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in a country where it remains dangerous to openly criticise the government and where homosexuality is illegal. Its treatment of low-paid migrant workers is another flashpoint. Its human rights record will come under increased scrutiny. It is expected to provide a major fillip for the Gulf region in terms of future business and tourism – and, possibly, more open, progressive forms of governance.īut the choice of Qatar, overshadowed by allegations of corruption, was controversial from the start. It’s the first time an Arab or a Muslim country has hosted the tournament. A cause for optimism is football’s World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar in November. Events in the Middle East will make global headlines again in 2022 – but for positive as well as negative reasons.
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