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This starts tomorrow as most of you probably know. Normally I’d be really excited but the whole thing leaves me completely cold, and the thing is I don’t quite know why. So many of the negative factors could be applied to all sorts of sporting events that I do get excited about.
First and foremost, the working conditions for those involved in making this happen have clearly been completely unacceptable but exploitation of workers is nothing new and certainly not restricted to Qatar.
Much is (rightly) made of the fact that homosexuality is illegal there, a law which I believe is entirely indefensible but again not restricted to Qatar. I have been to countries where this is the case so I don’t hold some sort of moral high ground by urging everyone to boycott it because they hate gay people.
I think it will be an awful experience for the fans going but that’s been obvious for years so don’t come back complaining that it was rubbish and you wasted thousands. I’m not going so it basically doesn’t affect me anyway, although a good atmosphere does carry through the TV coverage to some extent. There has been outcry over the recent tightening of alcohol rules, that for me falls under ‘their country, their rules’. It’s a conservative Islamic country, why are people surprised? (There is no comparison with homosexuality to be made here).
I think the time of year is actually a factor, for us in the northern hemisphere the World Cup is ‘supposed’ to be a summer thing. Incidentally, I don’t consider that it clashes with Christmas, it ends on the 18th before Christmas starts.
We held the thing in Russia last time and whilst it’s not the international pariah it is now, it hardly had a squeaky clean image four years ago. There wasn’t the mass outcry there is for this one, I can’t explain that.
I’m not ‘boycotting’ it at all, I will watch some of it but I’m not sure I’ll even be able to greet England games with the excitement I usually do. If the WC is usually a nine or ten on the anticipation scale, I’m currently on about three.
Love to hear your thoughts, I might add stuff if I remember anything else.
I’ve watched every World Cup since 1978, but I won’t be watching a single minute of this one.
As you have mentioned, Richard, there are just so many things fundamentally wrong with both Qatar and how they obtained the tournament (plenty of very large brown envelopes involved).
Just one example of how warped the whole thing is: they can pay “celebrities” millions for public endorsements, yet migrant workers are paid pennies.
It’s disgusting.
As racing fans, I do not think we can really take the moral high ground. Racing accepts plenty of high profile sponsorship from Qatar, which sits rather uneasily with the sport’s promotional videos about how racing is for everyone and committed to equality and diversity.
Leaving the moral issues aside, my main issue is the timing. It does not feel right having the tournament now. It has broken up the season.
The only league team I (sort of) follow is Middlesbrough. My father is from there and is a lifelong supporter. We often used to go to their matches when I was younger. After a poor start to this season, they have really got on a roll since Carrick took charge. And now there is no game for about a month!
At least the non leagues are still going. I might try to go to watch Southport some time soon. I can just about remember when the mighty Sandgrounders were a football league club! The last to ever lose their place through the re-election process.
Good posts both.
As ever, there’s never a single factor. I think it is just a combination of lots of things adding up, some of them admittedly quite big.
Have to say it is odd to see people who don’t need the money accepting the Qatari shilling (Beckham? Seriously?) Many of them pride themselves on their ‘brand’ (an awful concept but that’s the world we live in) and there is potential for that to be tarnished by association with this. I can only assume that those who advise them on such matters are also coining it in as a result.
I’m not boycotting it I’m just not watching it.
The hosts did little wrong to obtain the rights to this world cup. They simply asked what they had to do and who they had to pay.
They were facilitated by a very corrupt organisation. It is a huge gravy train and once it rolls into the station it has already gathered momentum and is difficult to stop.
This is how it has always worked.
But people readily accept this or it would not be taking place at all.
There is a whole heap of cash to be made here so people cannot help themselves.
I’m simply going to pass on it having watched every world cup since knee high to a grasshopper.
If the players gave ALL their money to the construction workers that would make a difference.For many years now, I’ve always said I won’t watch any of it but, once it’s upon me, it occurs to me it’s free to watch, this is the kind of thing my licence fee is used for, so I have it on mute as moving wallpaper in the background.
I find the punditry no less annoying than racing punditry.
What’s the actual temperature out there this time of year?
Does it kill the chance of North European countries and favour countries with similar climates or is it more tolerable in November and December?
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“Have to say it is odd to see people who don’t need the money accepting the Qatari shilling (Beckham? Seriously?)”
Robbie Williams as well. Like he needs the money!
And now they have decided at the eleventh hour that you cannot even have a drink in the stadiums. Although given how it was Budweiser and cost about £12 a pint, that might not be such a bad thing.
I believe there is a large “fan zone” in my neighbourhood, located on the local cricket club’s second team ground. I might go along and have a look at it later. It has caused a lot of grumbling from the residents who are understandably worried about drink related disorder.
I certainly will not be watching either.
The musings of Gary Lineker – he was always going go to Qatar – is pathetic.
In The Telegraph this morning they are reporting that David Beckham has been paid a reported £150 million as an ambassador for Qatar.
This tournament should have never been awarded to Qatar in the first place.
FIFA should be totally ashamed of themselves.
It’s currently 30C (86F) in Doha
For those who want to monitor the weather during the event see:
https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/qatar
I’ve little interest in soccer though have tended to watch the England games at previous world cups, which with few exceptions has been an unrewarding 90 minutes, so it’s no hardship to give this renewal a complete swerve
My television will thank me, as it would be unlikely to survive an appearance of Lineker, Neville and Beckham, to name but three
It all stinks to high heaven IMHO: the country, the corruption, the hypocrisy, the megabucks
Even those I know who are keen on the game seem less than enthralled at the prospect: a resigned shrug of the shoulders ‘I suppose I’ll watch it’ type response
Though, as Corker points out, we turfistes are in no position to take the moral high ground
Hypocrits ‘r’ us
For sure, staging it in Qatar is the worst sports decision I can think of in my lifetime.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I’ll be watching it, but wish it was being held somewhere else. If my memory serves me right, Australia were in the running for this WC, when nominations went to the wire.
Normally i’d be scooting over other side of the city, from here, to watch with mates in the pub, but not likely to bother this time.
Certainly wish it was at the ‘traditional’ time of the year; feels a bit weird that it’s about to start, in November.
Lineker – i had to laugh at him, again. Some of his musings in recent years i just chuckle at, but money (and contracts) talk, dont they? Loved him as a footballer, but these days he seems to think he’s some kind of Saint, if one believes that kind of stuff.The only good thing about it is their will be less moronic England fans parading the streets p!ssed out their heads, topless singing “its coming home”
I hope
Blackbeard to conquer the World
“its coming home”
On the subject, i see Baddiel and Skinner have released another version of the awful record.
Nowt beats New Order’s Italia ’90 track. Loved that one.Not interested at all in the girly game.
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysIn the International Friendlies today, Gibraltar play Andorra.
It does not get bigger than that!
Who cares about the World Cup?
Well being from Scotland I was always going to have limited interest.
I agree with the sentiments of just about everyone, it should never
have gone to Qatar. However, I can forsee that if England are doing well
the newspapers will whoop it up and there will be alot of interest regardless.
I think that’s inevitable. We live in a world where money supercedes morals,
I don’t see that changing any time soon. HO Ho Ho, Merry Christmas
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