Written by Kieran Kenyon

The people of Guildford have labelled the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar as one of the most controversial tournaments in the history of the sport.  $220 Billion pounds, 40 workers dead, and the President of FIFA banned due to corruption – the Guildfordian opinion seems largely justified.

The human rights situation right now in Qatar seems an ‘outright mess’. Sex between men is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Sex outside of marriage is criminalised, rape victims have been prosecuted. 7,000 dead Qatari migrants are being investigated in relation to poor worker conditions in building the stadiums. Who knows how many more haven’t been identified.

So, what led to Qatar hosting the world cup in this modern world? In 2011 Qatar shocked the world with their nomination as 2022 World Cup hosts, overtaking the favourite USA. It seemed a miracle for a short while, but soon 12 FIFA officials were sacked, President Seb Blatter resigned, and Michel Platini was arrested during a $2 Million payment connected to the World Cup in Qatar. Coincidence? Seems unlikely.

George Hewitt, shop worker and student at the RGS, can’t believe the school allows RGS students to watch the games this year, calling it ‘a flipping disgrace!’ Many people are unable to ignore the issues in this year’s edition and are boycotting the world cup, choosing not to watch it at all this year. Talk of the event is scarce and the hype preceding it is significantly lower than the previous times.

Due to the intense summer heat of Qatar, the world cup was moved forward 5 months to allow for more playable conditions. However, this sits the world cup in the middle of many leagues, giving premier league players just seven days to recover, leaving fans are outraged at the consequences. Edward Drew from Weybridge believes that England now have ‘very little chance’, and low morale certainly won’t help the Lions in their run this year. Argentina and Brazil remain the favourites, perhaps the playing conditions similar to their home countries may conversely benefit them.

Despite these problems, the world cup is still spectated by the majority of British fans. Andre, 46, father of a ‘football fanatic’, is going to be glued to the television with his son this year. They plan to ‘set aside all the controversy’ because of their ‘passion for football’. Perhaps we should join Andre and his son and watch Southgate’s squad on this year’s run.