It was 7:38 a.m., Thursday.
The thin buzz of my cell phone cut through the thick fog of peaceful slumber, painstakingly dragging my tired mind back to reality. My hand reached out, fumbled briefly on the night-stand and grasped the offending interruption. “2018 World Cup — Russia,” the text reads. Four simple words, and any remaining wisps of a happy dream were cruelly whisked away.
As any football (soccer) fan can tell you, FIFA shockingly announced late Wednesday night that after two years of poking and prodding, inspections and surveying, its 24-member Executive Committee had come to a controversial decision that would rock the footballing world: Russia and Qatar, not England and the United States, would be hosting the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups, respectively. As an avid follower of England’s national team, there was something almost predictable about our missing out on the opportunity to host the 2018 World Cup. Every major tournament I’ve had the pleasurable agony of watching my team compete in has ended in disgrace and left my hopes as low as any Cleveland Cavaliers supporter’s. But every time I look at England and America’s bids on paper, I’m left scratching my head. Because on paper, both countries are easily the best options, bar none. How could it all have fallen apart at the final hurdle?
America, while not the ball-kicking, cleat-wearing nation that Major League Soccer wishes it would be, has a series of world-caliber stadiums, has successfully hosted the tournament in the past and is eager to increase the sport’s popularity at home. England, the country that spawned the sport, has one of the best and most financially stable domestic leagues in the world, hosts the 2012 Olympics, and is home to the $1.2 billion Wembley Stadium. There is no question that both first-world countries could easily host the world’s biggest sporting event and treat the accompanying tourists and crazy fans to the experience of a lifetime, the experience of a World Cup in all its glory. And yet …
Let’s examine Qatar for a moment. It’s small with an approximate population of 1.6 million people. It’s also incredibly hot, with temperatures topping 110 degrees every June. Throw in the fact that there has never been a World Cup held in an Arab country, historically uncomfortable places for women, gays and Jews, and that Qatar is placed squarely in the Middle East, not exactly a Geneva Convention.
The list of problems stretches longer than a honey-do list; of the 12 proposed stadiums that will be used in Qatar, nine have yet to be constructed and 10 of them are going to be within 18 miles of the capital city of Doha. Hell, Lusail, the city where the World Cup final will be held, hasn’t even been completely built yet. The country’s infrastructure certainly isn’t prepared for the waves of humanity that envelop every Cup. Just this year, more than 1.4 million people descended on South Africa to watch Africa host its first-ever Cup. But we tourists shouldn’t worry about that, as Qatar promises it can house, feed and transport an overnight doubling of its population with no difficulties.
Then there’s the fact that FIFA grants the hosting spot in the final, regardless of ranking. Qatar is currently ranked 113th, has never qualified for a Cup, and will now be granted an automatic spot in the final
thirty-two. And yet …
Russia has also never hosted a World Cup, and is eager to do so. But it also has its share of problems and possible potholes. There are issues with stadiums, with many planned to be built and the existing structures needing serious renovations. Russian infrastructure, namely airports and hotels, need to be enlarged and upgraded. Transportation will also prove challenging, as traversing the largest individual country in the world is no joke.
Finally, there are startling and alarming allegations of prevalent fan racism in Russian football, allegations that are drawing international attention and sparked an internal investigation by the Russian Football Union. And yet …
The reasons behind the bizarre selection of Russia and Qatar are very simple: Money and corruption. Russia has promised $10 billion for its World Cup bid, Qatar a staggering $50 billion. Both countries have heavy governmental backing and made landing a Cup a high priority. Qatar officials went so far as to hire big-name endorsers, paying Zinedine Zidane $15 million to back their bid.
Money talks, and as they’ve proved in the past, FIFA was eager to listen. Just three weeks ago, six Executive Committee members were suspended for breaking “various articles of the FIFA Code of Ethics,” which the Times of London alleges means selling their hosting votes to the highest bidder. When a full quarter of your judging board is suspended for corruption, questions need to be answered as to the legitimacy of that ruling body. There needs to be some sort of shake-up, and it needs to happen fast. No matter how hard this farce of a ruling tries to appear authentic, one thing is very clear: FIFA didn’t make the fan choice or the football choice. The executive board rubbed their dirty fingers together and made the financial choice.
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