Explaining all the concerns about Qatar

There’s more to the story of the 2022 World Cup than hat tricks and corner kicks.

The subtext of major sporting events, as ever, is the sometimes stinky business of bringing those events to the stadiums and screens — and in the case of this year’s tournament hosted by the oil-rich Arab nation of Qatar, the problematic elements are a more dominant part of the conversation.

Let’s try to answer some of the questions swirling around the World Cup beyond the field:

Q: There’s been a strong backlash to the World Cup being played in Qatar. What’s going on?

A: Where to start? How about with the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar in the first place, which has been dogged for years by allegations of corruption? The Department of Justice said last year that Qatar bribed FIFA officials to secure the hosting rights.

Q: LIV Golf has been called a “sportswashing” exercise. Why are we hearing that word again?

A: Having the excitement of the World Cup in Qatar can serve to burnish the global reputation and camouflage the evils of a repressive regime. Women’s rights are limited in the Muslim country and gay rights are nonexistent — homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. Human rights groups have criticized the nation’s treatment of its vast force of South Asian migrant workers, who are said to labor in extreme heat for little or long-delayed pay. Qatar built seven new stadiums, about 100 new hotels and expanded transit infrastructure for the World Cup. The Guardian reported in 2021 that at least 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar in the 10 years since it secured the World Cup.

Q: Will there be protests?

A: Stay tuned. These will range from gestures or overt statements from the teams to acts of protest from the visiting public. The U.S. team adopted a rainbow-colored crest for its training sessions in support of LBGTQ+ rights. Members of several European teams and Team Australia have spoken out against the Qatari regime and the discomfort of playing there.

Follow all the 2022 World Cup action with more from the New York Post

Q: Isn’t the World Cup usually in the summer? Why is this one starting in November?

A: Well, it’s face-meltingly hot in the desert in the summer months. As opposed to this time of year, when it’s just regular hot. No one wanted to see Lionel Messi collapse from heat stroke, so organizers moved the tournament to the northern hemisphere’s late fall for the first time.

Q: But that’s not a perfect solution. What are the fears with this revised schedule?

A: In short: injuries. The European leagues where many of the World Cup players — and all of its star attractions — have their day jobs are in the middle of their seasons. That means players are being asked to jet into intense international play without anything resembling a rest. Already several top players have been forced out of the World Cup due to injury, and we could see more than the standard spate of injuries occur as the tournament goes on.

Q: Phew, so what is there to look forward to for the 2026 World Cup?

A: It’s coming to North America! The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in 16 cities — including New York — across the continent.

And starting in 2026, the field will expand to 48 teams, which means easier qualifying and more early-round blowouts. This is the last edition of the tournament (for now) with a tidy field of 32 teams.