Real Madras
Full Member
I think it comes down to accepting that certain countries are not accepting on alcohol,That is their right - but they should not be allowed to have a World Cup as long as they enforce their belief systems.
I completely agree with you but the only reason I’m commenting is because I feel there is Islamophobia undertones in this thread and it’s masked behind the LGBT and Alcohol comments when it doesn’t feel like that and I had to say something. I never criticise any other countries but will protect my religion and Qatar is a Muslim country and they’re not about to change their rules for 30 days of football, whether anyone likes that or not. I stand by that. I’m actually enjoying the fact that they have refused to sell Alcohol. People need to get over it and enjoy the football.They are 100% well within their rights to do so. Not many are asking them to change and before being handed this WC, I imagine most people would even be able to place Qatar on a map, let alone care enough about them to tell them to change.
The flip side is of course that nobody asked them or forced them to host a global tournament, where people from all countries, cultures, beliefs etc will be attending. If they wanted to host a tournament of only generally like-minded people, there is the Arab Cup. They also promised to act a certain way and, now empowered, have rowed back on many of their initial agreements.
This conversation I have to say is fraught with difficulties for me. Qatar is an awful location for a world cup. For so many reasons, not least of which are the terrible worker conditions, their constantly shifting goalposts etc. Some of the defence of them have come from exactly the same people I would have expected and who sadly often come to the defence whenever a Muslim country is criticised.
Yet despite this, there definitely is an Islamophobic undercurrent to some peoples' comments (often those who have a similar undercurrent anyway in some of their other posts on here). There is also the (to me anyway) slightly erroneous feeling some on here have that the World Cup is a gift from the West/Europe to bestow upon other countries, which of course it is not. Finally, whataboutism has become an over-used phrase to deflect from even valid criticisms of hypocrisy. To me, it means not even bothering to respond to a question but deflecting it with another entirely. However, some on here for instance are pointing out that Qatar was a terrible choice and shouldn't have received it, whilst still pointing out that the USA will 100% not receive anything like the same amount of criticism. A country that, even putting aside its foreign adventures, has some incredibly....peculiar domestic policies.
Nuances which are difficult to discuss online, where people seem to feel the need to get entrenched and either make up crap about Qatar or jumping to comments about how the Brits can't say anything because of their country's past or who only talk about how crap Russia/USA WCs are/will be without acknowledging the issues of this one.
There is no denying the fact that Qatar shouldn't have gotten the World Cup. I’m not refuting that because I too feel they won it on the basis of something more sinister but someone people on here need to take a long hard look at themselves. No country in this day and age is squeaky clean. A bit of tired of all of this to be fair as it’s football and not politics. Just enjoy the World Cup, go to Qatar is your willing to accept their rules or don’t go at all.
I think what’s really annoyed me is the owner of BrewDog and Box Park in London campaigning against this World Cup whilst showing the games in Box Park and selling his lager through third parties in Qatar which quite rightly so has been called out on it all over social media. This country is really something. Infantino is right. Look at yourself before you hand out moral lessons.