Boycott Qatar but please don’t boycott Qatar 2022

Kolkata: Now that the cricketing affairs down under have been unsatisfactorily resolved, we can all move to a whole new ball game. The FIFA World Cup, kicking off on November 20, has surely elected a rather controversial host country.

For those partially in the know, the prime focus is on the distasteful human rights record for immigrant workers, perhaps kosher for these parts but blasphemy in a civilized society. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the death toll is close to 6,500 while the US Justice Department recently suggested that Qatar had handsomely bribed FIFA for the rights to host the football blockbuster.

In recent months, the momentum for tangible protest has been gaining momentum in Europe certainly, through various anecdotal commitments. Philip Lahm, who captained Germany in their famous win of 2018, confirmed he will not be travelling to Doha in any capacity. Parallel movements in Spain and France confirm that there would be no high street live showcasing of the matches, whatever are the fortunes of the home nations.

Germany was deeply concerned about the safety of its LGBT supporters in the supporter entourage, and it took a visit from Berlin’s Interior Minister to garner a safety guarantee. It must be noted that Qatar won the mandate versus intense competition from Australia, Japan-Korea as well as the United States, so some jealous first-world reprisals may well be at play.

According to somebody from the region I met recently, there are several socio-cultural aspects of a rigid host country that are counter-intuitive to familiar World Cup shenanigans. For starters, the severe strictures in alcohol policy, are a cause of worry for sponsor Heineken, which may curtail the opportunities for celebration or sorrow.

Liberal Dubai seems ready to cash in as the short-haul flights and oceanic night-halts offer a glimmer of hope to party lovers.

Equally, it seems quite unimaginable that the pristine streets of the capital will witness all-night revelry that adds so much to the character of World Cups. Unverified reports further suggest that inflationary pressures on local residents are piling on sharply, as rentals are being drastically upgraded to accommodate the cash-rich foreigners seeking apartments.

While all of the above is possibly true, especially the human rights issues, it is necessary for the world at large to actually patronize the World Cup, in the fullest gusto. For the sake of the players who would be performing in a superhuman manner to bring glory to their nations, as surely this is the greatest stage of all in Football, and for many in life.

Whether the team is the hopelessly hopeful Iran, the senior pros Brazil, the sharply-honed Germans or even the enormously fortunate Qatar, the players deserve our deeply earnest support. It is not their fault if FIFA has unfairly granted the hosting rights to an undeserving nation, on every other parameter except multi-faceted economic clout.

This year though, I sincerely hope that an outlier manages to clinch the crown, especially the third-world construct, and not just yet another European superhero. World Cup victories have the potential to affect societal transformation, motivating poor kids to stay off violence and drugs, and there are many instances from Brazil and Argentina to validate this fact. Unlike say in Cricket or even Hockey, the power distance is unfortunately rather formidable, physical and experiential, so the chances of this are perhaps more romantic than pragmatic.

Of those championing the Boycott Qatar movement, I must extend my deepest empathy for a violation of humans which cannot lead to a celebration of sport. It would possibly make the fullest sense to mount a post-facto campaign, boycotting the host in every possible facet, from business to tourism to even the spiffy airline. But, in the interest of humanity and sport, we must be cheering the flights of endurance and passion that doubtlessly every player will demonstrate.

It is perhaps valuable to note that in 2021, Qatar provided around 24% of Europe’s Natural Gas imports, which might explain their unfair bargaining power for fun and games. And let’s not forget the splintering of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a form of spontaneous retribution still acceptable in that region for pesky dissidents.

So let’s sit back, relax and enjoy a show that’s a proven blockbuster. The missiles can be unleashed in 2023 and the world will still be watching.