Controversy in Qatar

With the World Cup starting this weekend fans from across the globe are on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the ball to drop.

The long-awaited tournament holds a special place in many people’s hearts, it brings a sense of community with everyone cheering on their home countries. We wait four years for this competition to take place and for those 30 days out of 365, we dust off our national shirts and scream at the television as if those on the other side can hear us. It’s a feeling unmatched by anything else, the adrenaline we feel watching our countries own, kick the ball across the field for 90 minutes, just as breathless as those on the pitch from holding our breaths in those ever-tense moments. There is truly nothing that compares.

Every tournament we watch brings joy and excitement to everyone watching but this year has controversy stood in the way?

This year the World Cup is being held in Qatar a country in the Middle East. When it was first announced that it would take place here it sparked an uproar of controversy and complaints. In Qatar there is a severe lack of rights for people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and for women. Rightfully so this brought up questions about whether the tournament should be held in a country that isn’t accepting of LGBTQ+ people and doesn’t give women the rights they deserve. People were outraged by the fact that FIFA were allowing such a discriminatory country to hold one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world. Fans complaining and posting videos on the internet showing their anger towards the decision that had been made, and to be honest can you blame them?

A sporting competition that is loved by so many, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, should not be held in a country that is widely known for not being accepting of everyone. It isn’t fair to those that are a part of these communities to have to watch their nations play in a place that doesn’t accept them.

James Cleverly, the UK foreign secretary, made a statement saying that gay fans that attend the tournament should show respect to Qatar; he went on to say that Qatar have made compromises by allowing gay people to attend the tournament so there needs to be ‘flex and compromise’ from both sides.

This statement is so ethically wrong it baffles me how the UK government let him open his mouth.

As perfectly stated by Labour MP Luke Pollard “It is never acceptable for a government minister to force LGBT people back into the closet”. Why should fans be forced to ‘compromise’ with a government that threatens to arrest them over the person they love? The answer is they shouldn’t.

Statements made like the one from the foreign secretary shouldn’t be allowed to be made, there should never be a ‘compromise’ to be had with countries like Qatar. There should never be tournaments like the World Cup held in countries like Qatar. But here we are in Qatar, day two of the competition commencing, and the reason not spoken aloud but still very much known as to why it's still being held in a place like it is. Money.

©LucyRoberts2022