The Moral Dilemma Of the Football World Cup In Qatar

Family lawNovember 19, 2022

By now, you already know that the upcoming November FIFA World Cup is in Qatar and if you don’t then you are probably living under a rock mainly because this is also one of the most controversial FIFA World Cup to take place.

Now, everyone knows that Qatar is a country that has some rather unique views, or alien to the western nations when it comes to social, legal, and religious norms and one thing about Qatar is that they take their ideology quite seriously. Because of Qatar’s views on homosexuality, political inclination, and the Qatari Law, some people have openly condemned the state and even called for a boycott.

While on the other hand, the Qatar Officials have made it clear that if they want to visit the country then they’ll have no choice but to face their values. So, this opens the floor to the question, who should be condemned; the country with its solid views or the foreigners with their solid views?

Sides/Pexels | Qatar has made it clear that the state stands firm on its stance

Calling It Quits

Qatar’s policies regarding the FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in November have resulted in many football commentators and players speaking up about the norms that the state has. Australian footballers have called the state out on its treatment of immigrants and the human rights violation.

The German player also voiced his opinion and claimed to ‘set an example for the values they stand for.’ However, on the flip side, there are rarely any players, commentators, or stakeholders that have talked about stepping back from the FIFA World Cup and why would they, this opportunity is probably a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Life/Pexels | Calling a state out on its laws yet traveling to perform in the same state, sounds quite hypocritical.

Genuine Condemnation?

There are thousands of protests every year about things that people feel passionate about such as laws, political decisions, and more. People even go as far as to mass-boycott the event or situation to show solidarity and pressure the other party into giving in to their demands even if it meant losing their livelihood or being arrested.

In the case of the FIFA World Cup, many people have raised their voices against Qatar. But, at the same time, they are preparing to fly to the location to participate in the World Cup. This is performative activism where people show genuine condemnation but they are not taking the necessary steps to solidify their protest.

For many critics, this sounds like an attempt to please their western fans while holding onto the opportunity that Qatar has offered them. One certain thing is the fact that western liberal states preach tolerance and patience but only for other western states, not for other countries. In a utopian world, every country should have the right to place norms and ideology that it deems fit for its society, no matter how unique they may be for the foreign states.