The FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which has attracted more controversy than any other edition of the tournament, finally kicks off today as the host nation face off against Ecuador. The match will start at 9:30 PM IST. The match is being held at Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, one of the 8 brand new stadiums constructed for the mega event.
This is the tournament debut for Qatar which has qualified for the World Cup for the first time because of being the host of this edition. Ecuador will be making their 4th appearance at Football’s showpiece event having made their first appearance in 2002. The two teams are part of Group A with Netherlands and African champions Senegal being the other two teams in the group.
The host nation Qatar will be hoping that the action on the pitch will finally get people to focus on football instead of the various controversies that have been talked about in the lead-up to the tournament. Ever since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in December 2010, questions have been raised over the suitability of the gulf nation as a venue for the event with the voices becoming really loud in the weeks before the tournament.
Criticism of Qatar’s human rights record
Qatar’s treatment of the migrant workers, who make up the bulk of the population in the country, has come under the scanner ever since they were awarded the tournament. The country has seen an infrastructure boom in the last 12 years with the projects linked to World Cup alone seeing a $200 Billion expenditure. However, the workers who have toiled hard to build these stadiums have had to endure terrible working conditions.
Thousands have died during the construction of the new stadiums and the related infrastructure due to poor working conditions. Qatar on its part has denied any human rights abuse and has claimed that working conditions have improved in the country.
Allegations of bribery and corruption on Qatar to get the hosting rights
The world was left shocked in 2010 when FIFA awarded Qatar the rights to host the 2022 edition of the World Cup, a decision since described by the then FIFA President Sepp Blatter as a mistake. There were various allegations of bribery leveled against Qatar and claims were made of widespread corruption in FIFA.
The country was awarded a summer world cup despite the temperatures reaching 50 degrees celsius in the summer, eventually forcing FIFA to switch the tournament to winter for the first time. The wisdom to award the tournament to a country with little football pedigree or interest was also questioned.
Qatar will be hoping that the quality of football will finally make everyone forget about all these issues and they can make the tournament a success.