I've friends who have had run ins a couple of times, the police coming round to check on cohabiting unmarried couples, car crashes with Emiratis where they've been told they're at fault whatever happened.
Boycott The Qatar World Cup?
- Thread starter OldSchoolManc
- Start date
I find it quite funny that people are going to boycott it (as in not watching it), while 99.999% percent of them probably didn't bat an eyelid when their countries signed some shady deals with Qatar that involved tons of money switching hands one way or another.
But when the corruption has to do with football- oh, what a travesty, Qatar should be wiped out of the earth.
Come on. No problem boycotting it or anything else one thinks deserves boycotting.
But it won't make any of us better people or gain us points in an imaginary table of human values.
Pretty much every Westerner who protests regarding some human rights is a hypocrite because of his/her country's violations of it far away from the public spotlight.
And I know it's a bit of a daft view to hold ("you don't protest all the world's injustices so you're a fool for protesting a specific one").
Don't take me too seriously...
I'll boycott the whole thing because I fecking hate international football, and it disrupts United's season which is all I care about really.
Feck Qatar and Fifa, heh. Cnuts the lot of them.
But when the corruption has to do with football- oh, what a travesty, Qatar should be wiped out of the earth.
Come on. No problem boycotting it or anything else one thinks deserves boycotting.
But it won't make any of us better people or gain us points in an imaginary table of human values.
Pretty much every Westerner who protests regarding some human rights is a hypocrite because of his/her country's violations of it far away from the public spotlight.
And I know it's a bit of a daft view to hold ("you don't protest all the world's injustices so you're a fool for protesting a specific one").
Don't take me too seriously...
I'll boycott the whole thing because I fecking hate international football, and it disrupts United's season which is all I care about really.
Feck Qatar and Fifa, heh. Cnuts the lot of them.
A lot of people are being very hypocritical, it's true. Not that there aren't issues over there to be angry about but the outrage is very selective it seems. And Australia now having the temerity to criticise Qatar's human rights record, I mean you couldn't make it up. You literally committed genocide and treat the remnants of those dispossessed people like garbage to this day.
I see it as a positive, people may not read the financial pages and are maybe wilfully ignorant. If the world cup highlights these issues and people tune in then I see that as progress not hypocrisy.
I amazed that some folk are more annoyed at the dissent than they are at the state sponsored discrimination. Really fecking weird.
I think most people will too.
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I've just watched the Gary Neville Countdown to Qatar video and those workers living conditions are abysmal. Poor-ish countries like Romania and Poland offered hotel rooms and resorts to Ukrainians refugees and this super rich nation that is actually going to make money from those workers can only give containers to live in... truly disgusting.
This, doesn't even seem real. Happened a while ago. 2020 I think.
"The women were taken to ambulances on the tarmac, some at gunpoint, the lawsuit stated, locked inside and told to remove their underwear for an examination, the BBC reported at the time."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aust...ha-airport-newborn_n_63544d84e4b04cf8f3843c70
"The women were taken to ambulances on the tarmac, some at gunpoint, the lawsuit stated, locked inside and told to remove their underwear for an examination, the BBC reported at the time."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aust...ha-airport-newborn_n_63544d84e4b04cf8f3843c70
I'm not so sure. People will watch it but will they really get into it the way they do a normal World Cup? For a month in the summer it's all anybody talks about and in the weeks leading up to it. We are now what, 3 weeks away, but I've seen no press, no advertising, no hype at all really. Everybody is focused on the league season. It feels like the Nations League build up at this point. I'm sure Qatar will throw money at it and the mouthpieces will tell us how wonderful it all is, but its simply at the wrong time of year.
It is a bit of a daft view to be fair but at least you're aware mate.
Out of interest what are these other shady deals conducted with Qatar and how could westeners have boycotted them? Genuinely interested.
Blatter now admitting that awarding the world cup to Qatar was a mistake. It was also a mistake awarding it to Russia instead of England in 2018. What a corrupt slimeball. FIFA has no credibility, feck this competition and the state washing human trash of Qatar.
I don't really see what boycotting (as in not watching it on TV) it will achieve? It's happening, the games will be played, even if nobody watched it, the tournament will still happen.
If anything you'd hope that the BBC and ITV will shine a light on abhorrent worker conditions and all the other issues whilst they're broadcasting - which in turn brings more awareness to these issues as the tournament goes on.
If anything you'd hope that the BBC and ITV will shine a light on abhorrent worker conditions and all the other issues whilst they're broadcasting - which in turn brings more awareness to these issues as the tournament goes on.
I won’t be watching and will in no way feel hypocritical. I am not responsible for the acts of our country a century or more ago. We are supplying arms to Saudi Arabia and other countries but I can‘t stop that. These World Cup events are usually boring as are most Cup games as nobody plays to win until the final, they play not to lose. I do predict that some gay rights activists will get themselves arrested or create some issue for the publicity because that’s what they do. There won‘t be any ‘Stop Oil’ activists climbing up structures, if there are, they won e there for long. Whatever you think of Qatar, it’s their country so I reckon their laws should be respected if you visit.
I guess Blatter has spent all the bribe money, or maybe the cheque was post dated and it bounced.
Pretty much every World Cup over the last few decades (and Olympics too I'd imagine) will involve some form of bribery.
Of all the things wrong with the Qatar World Cup, bribery is way low down on the list in my opinion. Corruption and bribery is pretty much a staple for major organizations and governments at this point.
Good listen.
It's actually pretty amazing the Qatari's were/are able to treat workers as they do for so long... when building a World Cup too no less.
Hit to the ratings > Advertising maybe but in reality it might not achieve much but it doesn't need to achieve anything.I doubt anyone's hoping it will be cancelled at this late stage.
Most people who say they're not watching probably just don't want to have anything to do with the Tournament in general.
Sadly I suspect once this tournament is over and western attention isn't on Qatar as much the working conditions on their construction projects will probably slide down the shitter again even from the current low standards.
Pity money grabbing Twats like Blatter couldn't have came to this realization a decade ago.
That's fair enough
It's weird because I know Qatar should never have got the World Cup, and the shit that's gone on their since is disgusting - but more should have been done by more people/governments before now, and now that it's here - I don't feel like their failings should deprive me of watching what is my favourite sporting event.
And you're almost certainly right, all the attention will go away after the tournament and it'll very much be out-of-sight/out-of-mind, but while it's in-sight you can only hope enough is done/said to make some sort of impression.
100% more should have been said and done long before now but sadly it wasn't.
Watching a football tournament despite the circumstances surrounding the host isn't going to make you a bad person mate so if you want to watch it you should.
Qatar was simply the stupidest place to hold an event like this and everyone and their mothers knew the bid for it was fully based on corruption and nothing more.
This will most likely be the worst World Cup in history but thankfully the next two will probably be some of the best (USA and Portugal/Spain)
This will most likely be the worst World Cup in history but thankfully the next two will probably be some of the best (USA and Portugal/Spain)
USA Canada and Mexico could be exceptional
Will all 3 get a place in the tournament? Seems excessive when USA could easily host it by themselves.
Ya looks like all 3 will host with a majority being in the US.
Has the potential to be one of the all time great world cups in my view.
A country known for illegally invading countries and supplying weapons to authoritarian regimes that kill innocent people in neighouring countries? Why not just have it in Russia again?
hehe
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63552662
Not sure how I will continue after this devastating loss
Not sure how I will continue after this devastating loss
Disagree with a poster above saying the World Cup is mostly boring - the last two group stages have been fantastic. And while they might get duller as they go on, there's still great drama and a sense of occasion in tight knockout games. And this is the last of the 32 team tournaments, with the next one being a bloated 48 team event, so this could be better than the tournaments that follow (almost certainly the group stages will be better here, there are some close groups).
Obviously following United is the pinnacle, but watching the World Cup is when I enjoy high-level football for the game itself, the different cultures and the unparalled passion, somewhat as a neutral, with some of the wonder I had as a youngster (club football outside United doesn't interest me as much anymore, the latter stages of the Champions League recently are largely spent hoping Chelsea, Liverpool, PSG and City don't win).
And as someone with family in Ukraine, I have to just forget people weren't interested in boycotting the last one after Russia had seized areas and gone to war there in 2014 (among other things).
Obviously following United is the pinnacle, but watching the World Cup is when I enjoy high-level football for the game itself, the different cultures and the unparalled passion, somewhat as a neutral, with some of the wonder I had as a youngster (club football outside United doesn't interest me as much anymore, the latter stages of the Champions League recently are largely spent hoping Chelsea, Liverpool, PSG and City don't win).
And as someone with family in Ukraine, I have to just forget people weren't interested in boycotting the last one after Russia had seized areas and gone to war there in 2014 (among other things).
I will boycott it. Not necessarily because I believe it will change anything. But I’ll have peace of mind at least. No point in watching something that’s going to make me angry.
the boycott of the world cup is pointless. FIFA do not give a monkey's shitfling whether the world cup is 'successful' or not because all the real money has already changed hands and the event is fully funded. they simply don't care whether you watch the WC or not.
if you want to boycott footballing events, you probably should draw a line at where the money becomes filthy or serves to work against the game and boycott football at that level. that means giving a local, community ran club your support and not to some ugly petrogarchy or vulture fund.
protesting against qatar itself is a different story though, and there are loads of ways to do that but that's not what this thread is about.
as an irishman, my only skin in this particular game will be to delight in england's inevitable failure. again.
if you want to boycott footballing events, you probably should draw a line at where the money becomes filthy or serves to work against the game and boycott football at that level. that means giving a local, community ran club your support and not to some ugly petrogarchy or vulture fund.
protesting against qatar itself is a different story though, and there are loads of ways to do that but that's not what this thread is about.
as an irishman, my only skin in this particular game will be to delight in england's inevitable failure. again.
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Not sure how she'll continue after this searing deconstruction of her statement.
I had a listen - interesting but do feel this would have benefited from being on YouTube
Qatar is rightly getting the spotlight due to the WC but all the Gulf countries have been doing this for decades - the whole of Dubai and the other Emirates were built by the same kind of migrant workforce with awful conditions.
Can only hope they are forced to improve things with the rest of the world watching
Don't really see what boycotting achieves though but each to their own
It's elite level football, lots of United players are involved and I'll be watching as much of it as possible
It's elite level football, lots of United players are involved and I'll be watching as much of it as possible
You're an absolute, grade A prat.
Those pesky, meddling gay rights activists getting arrested for the lolz. It’s all about them.
Is a boycott if I watched it in illegal streams only? 
Qatar didn't force them to come... but they do force them to suffer.
Great! the more people boycott the better stream for us who are going to watch.
Can you get your family and friends to boycott as well? thanks
Denmark have had their request to wear training shirts with ‘Human Rights for All’ on them rejected by FIFA.
They’re not even trying to hide it.
They’re not even trying to hide it.