Sepp Blather - 50 Degrees You Say??

Blatter has admitted a mistake, but is it going to make the slightest difference in the playing of the 2022 World Cup?

Sepp Blatter has opened his big, stupid mouth again, and has admitted that a mistake could have been made in awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.  As infuriating as the original announcement was, there is something about Sepp's blathering excuses about the unknown difficulties of playing a soccer tournament in 115 degree heat that just steps on my very last nerve.

First of all, this will end up meaning nothing in the long run.  The World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2022, and they will pull it off, though just barely.  They will spend an obscene amount of money to build five stadiums within spitting distance of each other, hotels to accommodate all seventeen of the fans that want uproot their lives in the winter to travel to the middle east, and the tournament will go on.  South Africa has emboldened FIFA like no previous World Cup experience.  They proved to themselves that they can take a seemingly impossible situation, and pull a successful tournament out of the rubble.  The ultimate success of Brazil 2014 will be yet another confirmation for FIFA that no situation is insurmountable, including Qatar.

To me, the concept behind trying to host a WC in the middle east makes sense.  The first successful African hosted WC in 2010 was a major success, and showed the vast soccer potential that lay within the African continent.  Not just in the potential for talent, but the enthusiasm and support that was shown by the African people was overwhelming.  The 2010 World Cup was by no means a turning point in the economic fortunes of South Africa, but as the continent as a whole continues to rise from the mire into economic relevance soccer will be there to reap the benefits.  Over the next 50-100 years, look to see an ever increasing investment in African Soccer by the rest of the world.  Red Bull is already in on the game.

So the idea of breaking new territory and boldly going into the middle east juggling the checkered ball of peace is very appealing.  But South Africa boasted a political situation that, for whatever the current troubles are, has recently undergone a dramatic transformation.  Within the last 25 years, South Africa has gone from a society that completely excluded the majority of its citizens from voting to the inspiration for a charming Matt Damon vehicle.  When the average American thinks about South Africa, their first thoughts are likely of Nelson Mandela.  When the average American thinks about Qatar, basically it amounts to "well it's in the middle east, and it's probably hot as fuck."  That's partially because of American ignorance, but it's also partially because Qatar has been ruled by the same family since 1825 that wields absolute power within the country.

Much has been made of the restrictive laws that Qataris are subjected to.  While this is most definitely a concern for the people that actually live in Qatar, I get the impression from all of the statements made by Qatari officials that they will be very lax with World Cup travelers.  While this might be comforting in the sense that I doubt any Germans will be sentenced to life in prison for public intoxication, it is almost more unsettling because of the contrast to the country's normal situation.  I mentioned the parallels between Russia 2018 and the Nazi Olympics of 1936, and I think the comparison bears repeating here as well.  Just because a country puts on the facade of tolerance and respectability for the rest of the world, does not mean that their treatment should be condoned by an international sporting body.

So what is FIFA to do?  Is it the responsibility of FIFA to judge every country according to their individual laws and decide whether or not they are good enough to host their tournaments?  I won't pretend to know exactly where the line is, but I am repulsed at the idea of spending money in a country that makes criticizing the government worthy of a life sentence.  The very idea makes me cringe, but it sets a precedent that needs to be given defined parameters.  If the USA was given the World Cup in 2030, should we refuse to play any of the games in Georgia (for the sake of argument) because they didn't recognize same sex marriages?  Or deny China the chance to host the event because of their sketchy history of human rights abuses?  Personally, I wouldn't think to deny either Georgia or China the right to host the event based on those grounds, but what am I basing that on?  Nothing really, except my own personal opinions and an acceptance that nowhere in the World is free of blemishes.  But where is the line, and who gets to decide?

It's also possible that FIFA see giving Qatar the WC as an opportunity to force a country to make social and political changes.  It's possible that the looming threat of losing the WC for nine years could actually effect positive social change from a country desperate to keep a hold of the most watched sporting tournament in the world.  Perhaps it was all a grand wager by Sepp Blatter, that FIFA could be the world's hero and rescue countries from the pit of political oppression and social restrictions.  Maybe Sepp will be remembered as a man of great vision and consequence in this world...

Or maybe, Qatar is fucking rich.  Maybe Blatter and co. are aware that Forbes has put Qatar right at the top of its list of Worlds Richest Countries.  Maybe Qatar is a country that already has very strong economic ad military ties with the west, and everybody who is anybody knows that Qatar has the cash to shit out six world class stadiums TOMORROW if they had to.  Maybe having the tournament in a country where you can't cross the street without getting mowed down by a member of the royal family is mighty appealing to folks that are looking for investments in soccer teams.  Maybe there is no more secure place in the middle east to hold such a tournament, as it happens to play host to the US Central Command's Forward Headquarters and Combined Air Operations Center. 

I think the World Cup will take place in Qatar in 2022, and just about nothing is going to stop it.  Whether or not Blatter and friends will be able to convince the world that it wasn't all about the money remains to be seen.