The World Cup of Greed.

The World Cup is almost upon us, but what should be a moment of joy for football supporters around the world doesn’t quite feel that way (at least for me and many other supporters). There are many issues surrounding this World Cup and the hosts, particularly the U.S. Chief among them is the extremely high cost of tickets. There have also been concerns about the difficulties supporters from certain countries are facing in entering the country. Finally, there are major concerns about the high summer temperatures for players, staff, and supporters in the stands.

The biggest issue written about regarding the upcoming tournament is the high cost of tickets. For this World Cup, FIFA has three ticketing categories: category 1, the highest-priced; category 2, the middle-priced; and category 3, the lowest-priced. According to a report in The Athletic from last October, when the tickets first went on sale, the average price of a category 3 was around $250. In recent months, the prices have only risen further. For example, in April, tickets in category 3 for the U.S. national team’s opening match were selling for $1,120 per ticket. The same applied to many of the other group-stage matches, where prices rose by around 27 percent. All of this appears to be pure greed on the part of FIFA, who know that dynamic pricing has taken over the U.S ticketing market in recent years. So a certain type of person will be willing to pay through the nose for nosebleed seats, while the majority of society will be left watching on TV.

If you are one of the lucky few who can afford to get to a match, you will be in for a shock when you find out about the cost of parking and transportation. According to another report in The Athletic, FIFA raised the cost of parking outside of stadiums in February from around $75 to $175 or, in some cases, even more. Also, FIFA has priced disabled parking passes at around the same prices. At Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, a disabled parking pass can cost $300. FIFA, being FIFA, decided to apply the same “variable pricing strategy” to parking ticketing as well. On top of the parking situation, certain cities, such as New York, are charging $98 to take the train to and from the stadium. No matter how you look at it, just getting to a match is going to be an expensive endeavor.

Another major issue facing this World Cup is immigration, including visa and enforcement issues that may affect participants of all kinds. According to a report in the Washington Post, stadium workers in LA are threatening to strike before the U.S opener on Friday due to concerns over ICE raids. On top of that, supporters from countries such as Haiti are banned from entering the country. Even supporters from countries where obtaining a U.S. visa is normally a straightforward process have reported difficulties obtaining a visa. All of this has led to an unnecessary climate where even supporters from nations such as England have had second thoughts about attending matches, particularly those taking place in the U.S.

Speaking of the climate, many concerns have been raised about the extreme summer temperatures during the tournament. All 48 nations taking part in the tournament will face challenges due to the long travel distances between venues across three different countries. On top of that, some venues, such as Mexico City, are at high altitudes that can negatively affect performance. The biggest overall, though, will be the oppressive heat and humidity in places such as Kansas City and Miami. While there is no ideal solution, most medical staff will have strategies to address the various challenges that arise. Another issue is how the heat will affect supporters in the stands. According to another report in The Athletic, up until a few days ago, FIFA reversed a decision that prohibited supporters from bringing their own water bottles into stadiums. They clearly realized that not allowing water bottles could prove extremely dangerous for supporters.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a fascinating tournament both on and off the pitch. From a personal perspective, it is disappointing that the city where I live isn’t hosting any of the matches. However, I most likely wouldn’t have been able to afford a ticket anyway. FIFA has done an excellent job of pricing out a large number of dedicated supporters like me who genuinely love the sport and the good that it is (supposed) to stand for. This should have been the moment when football took off in this country; however, the only people who will seemingly witness it are the top 1%. While I am looking forward to the tournament, FIFA has succeeded in sucking some of the joy out of the beautiful game.

Platini and Blatter Cleared in Corruption Case.

Today, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter, two heavyweights of the global football administration, were cleared of corruption charges. According to a report in The Guardian, the Swiss attorney general’s office had asked for 20 months in prison with two years of the sentence suspended. This case centered around a payment of $2.2 million to Blatter from Platini in the name of non-contracted work done when Platini was advising Blatter’s campaign to be re-elected as FIFA president from 1998 to 2002. According to a report in the BBC, this case was tied in with the wider FIFA scandal and other high-ranking FIFA officials participating in corruption and bribery on an industrial scale. While this is no surprise to me, it is a sad indictment of the state of football that this type of corruption is accepted so readily and that supporters face ever-increasing prices. At the same time, the administrators who run the game continue to rich off the people who love the beautiful game so much.

The Trial of Fox Sports’ Acquisition of World Cup Rights

Recently, an ongoing trial has occurred in New York City involving executives from Fox Sports who are facing allegations of paying bribes to secure the World Cup rights for 2018 and 2022, as well as for the Copa Libertadores, a tournament involving clubs from countries from South America. According to an article in the AP, Fox executives schemed to undermine rival bids for the TV rights. The primary witness, Alejandro Burzaco, has alleged that his fellow Fox executives bribed South American football officials to obtain the rights. According to a New York Times article, a well-known former FIFA official from Argentina, Julio Grondona (now deceased), was quoted to have said, “ If Fox puts up $400 million, it will win the rights”. This trial comes amid previous corruption scandals that have engulfed FIFA recently. This trial is ongoing, and there will likely be more revelations—updates to follow.

The Ugly Game: How the Qatar World Cup has Tarnished Football’s Reputation.

This Sunday, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off. For 11 years, there have been many ongoing controversies over the awarding of the tournament to Qatar. The first significant controversy was over the bidding process due to allegations of corruption. The second major controversy is over the treatment of migrant workers building stadiums and other infrastructure in Qatar. Thirdly, there are well-documented human rights abuses toward women and the LGBT community in Qatar. Finally, there are concerns over the temperature in Qatar during matches, despite the tournament being held in the winter and Qatar not living up to the environmental promises listed in their bid.

Any discussion of the World Cup has to begin with how Qatar won the bidding process. FIFA organized the bidding so the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would be awarded simultaneously. Russia won the right to host in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. A recent article in The Guardian notes that while no official chain of corruption has been proven and the Qatari bid team denies all claims of wrongdoing, the stench of malfeasance is pungent. What is known is that 16 of the 22 FIFA Executive Committee members, the men who run football, have been involved in some form of corruption. The most serious allegations are that representatives of the Qatari bid funneled money to FIFA ExCo members in return for a yes vote for Qatar. These allegations led to the downfall of FIFA President Sepp Blatter and a general sense among those who follow the sport that the bidding process was unfair and that one of the other nations’ bidding, such as the U.S, would have been more suitable.

Not long after Qatar won the right to host the tournament, there were numerous reports documenting the substandard working conditions of those building the infrastructure, including stadiums, transportation, and hotels. Many of these workers came from south Asian countries, such as India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Chief among the complaints made by the workers was Qatar’s use of the Kafala system. The Kafala system allowed the Qatari government to permit construction companies to sponsor foreign laborers to work and live in the country. According to a recent Council on Foreign Relations report, migrant workers were exploited on many levels. Under the Kafala systems, workers had their passports confiscated and were restricted from moving between jobs. There have also been confirmed reports of workers not receiving their full salary and of unsafe working conditions. According to an article written by the Atlantic Council in 2016, the International Labour Organization, which is part of the UN, sent a delegation to Qatar. The goal was to try and gain more provisions for workers, such as freedom of movement between jobs and better working conditions. These efforts yielded limited success. In a report by The Guardian from last year, more than 6,500 workers died while working in Qatar. However, the actual number is presumed to be much higher.

On top of the already serious issues involving corruption and the mistreatment of migrant workers is Qatar’s general state of human rights. As in many other Middle Eastern countries, women are not allowed fundamental rights. Women in Qatar must obtain permission from a male relative, such as a father or husband, to study abroad, get married, and even in some cases, be able to work. Until 2020 women who wanted to drive had to obtain their guardian’s permission. According to a report by the organization Human Rights Watch, women in Qatar have little recourse in escaping from a dysfunctional marriage. Women in Qatar have stated that it is nearly impossible to get a divorce from an abusive partner or gain custody of children.

Another significant human rights issue is the treatment and discrimination of the LGBT community in Qatar. Under the Qatari penal code, same-sex relations are punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment. In the same Human Rights Watch report, there are incidents of the Qatari police randomly arresting members of the LGBT community and subjecting them to mistreatment in detention facilities. There are numerous reports of the Qatari police forcing confessions out of detainees and reports of physical abuse. Despite the government in 2020 saying that it will allow fans to display rainbow flags, there is a lingering sense that the Qatari authorities are not welcoming of the LGBT community during the World Cup.

The final issue I will highlight are the general concerns surrounding the tournament itself. FIFA had to move this World Cup to the winter because the Qatari summers are too oppressive in which to play football. However, this knock-on effect has forced the European leagues, such as the English Premier League, to pause during November & December. This caused more matches to be played in a tighter window of time, resulting in more players sustaining injuries in the run-up to the tournament. And there are other issues regarding the availability and cost of lodging in Qatar. The organizers have made several cruise ships available for housing. However, there are already numerous reports about a lack of rooms for budget-minded travelers. Finally, there have been concerns about policing in Qatar, particularly in a country where football isn’t mainstream and where there is unfamiliarity with traditional football culture, i.e., singing and drinking. This will be a world cup, unlike any in recent memory, with issues that will continue to exist long after the final whistle.