Why Have the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup being in Qatar, it is the first Arab country to host the tournament.  You would think that this would be good news for the country and its people, but instead of bringing good publicity to the region, it has brought controversy. The event has been met with bribery scandals, weather concerns, and accusations of slave labor. The organizers have shown a blatant disregard for the value of human life.

In May of 2011, two members of the FIFA Executive Committee were accused of bribery to ensure that Qatar would win the bid and have the World Cup come to their country. FIFA conducted an investigation into these allegations and if they are proven, a re-vote could likely occur. Two reporters from the London Sunday Times reported that two men, both from Africa, were paid $1.5 million each to support Qatar's bid.  Represenatives from Qatar deny such accusations and claim the accusers are jealous and don't want the Cup to be held in an Arab country. 

During the season in which the tournament would be held (summer), the temperature in Qatar can reach up to 122 Degrees Fahrenheit.  These extreme high temperatures could turn away potential ticket buyers as well as put their health in danger. Qatar officials have planned to use cooling technology to reduce the temperature inside the stadiums.  According to a section from the official 2022 Qatar bid site, "Each of the five stadiums will harness the power of the sun's rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players at the stadiums. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadiums will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadiums will all draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadium's carbon-neutrality. Along with the stadium, we plan to make the cooling technologies we’ve developed available to other countries in hot climates, so that they too can host major sporting events." While the technology is "state of the art", it could also create a strain on Qatar's energy resources.

In addition to the two other problems, the big scandal is the accusations of slave labor being used for building the stadiums and the surrounding infrastructure. Reports filed in 2013 had said that a number of people, mainly from India, had faced poor working conditions after they had traveled to Qatar being promised a large salary and benefits.  The companies denied these workers their salaries and made sure they stayed by withholding the necessary work permits making them illegal aliens. Some of the workers had said they hadn't been paid in a significant amount of time, and had to beg for food and were sometimes beaten.  The Guardian writes that, "Nepalese workers in Qatar have been dying at a rate of one per day,". The men live in unsanitary and poor conditions. 

Based on the information above, Qatar has some serious things to look at before hosting a world wide event such as the FIFA World Cup. Bribery, weather conditions, and slavery accusations are factors in deciding whether to keep the tournament in Qatar. Whether it ends up being in the country or not, at the moment, it is not a smart or safe idea to host the games in a country with such problems.