With the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup now in full swing, it will be understandable that some fans forget some of the feverish controversies that trailed the commencement of hostilities at the resplendent stadia that the Gulf country built in preparation for hosting the world.
Indeed, it was only five days ago when, apparently frustrated by a barrage of anti-Qatar sentiments from the media, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, came out to vehemently defend Qatar against what he described as “hypocrisy” on the part of the West.
At a press conference held in the Qatari capital on Saturday, he said, “Working circumstances in Qatar are superior to those of European immigrants. Europe should stop the criticism and focus on improving its migrants’ conditions. What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons.
Reform and change takes time. It took hundreds of years in our countries in Europe. It takes time everywhere, the only way to get results is by engaging … not by shouting.”
Reactions to Infantino’s comments came fast and furious as Steve Cockburn, the head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International, Nicholas McGeehan, Director of FairSquare, the non-profit human rights organisation and Mustafa Qadri, the Chief Executive of international human rights organisation Equidem, all spoke up strongly against FIFA.
These controversies aside, FIFA was already making profits from the competition. Last Sunday, the football governing body reported that in the four years leading up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it has generated record earnings of $7.5 billion.
This was revealed when FIFA presented its financial results to representatives from more than 200 of its members and the record earning represents a $1 billion increase above revenue from the last commercial cycle related to the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Commercial agreements with Qatar helped to boost the additional revenue. In addition to new third-tier sponsors including Qatari bank QNB and telecom company Ooredoo, top-tier sponsor Qatar Energy also joined. FIFA also added second-tier sponsor deals this year from the financial platform crypto.com and a blockchain provider — its first new American sponsor in more than a decade. FIFA’s revenues will rise to about $2.5 billion despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenues are likely to approach $10 billion for the next four years thanks to a new financial strategy for women’s soccer and the expanded 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
That same Sunday, the World Cup officially began with a magnificent opening ceremony that was led by South Korean pop phenomenon Jungkook. In attendance at the ceremony were Infantino, the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The ceremony, which preceded the opening match between the hosts and Ecuador, featured the usual mix of local and international performers showcasing the best of Qatar. American actor Morgan Freeman provided the ceremony’s reassuring narration with his unforgettable voice.
Before Freeman and local celebrity, Ghanim Al Muftah sang “To Know One Another” with several camels, there was a montage of Qatar from the air and water specifically designed to impress. The tournament mascot La’eeb and his predecessors from past tournaments were then presented after a dance performed by professional artists and local volunteers.
The tournament’s official single, Dreamers, was sung with customary fervour by South Korean boy band BTS’s Jungkook alongside local artist Fahad Al Kubaisi, and the celebration came to a close with a speech by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
It was time for football action and history was made in the very first match of the competition. At the Al Bayt Stadium Enner Valencia, a striker for the Turkish professional football club Fenerbahce, scored twice as Ecuador defeated Qatar, making them the first World Cup hosts ever to lose the opening game.
Closely following that game was the controversy around protesting armbands. The OneLove armband that team captains from England and six other nations intended to wear during the World Cup was proscribed by FIFA, which threatened to book captains if they disobeyed rules and made independent statements on social issues rather than adhering to FIFA regulations.
The OneLove campaign, which encourages “inclusion and sends a message against discrimination of any kind” gained importance as the tournament in Qatar, a nation where homosexuality is prohibited, approached. Lengthy negotiations between FIFA and a group of football associations, including those from England, Wales, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands result in the decision to no longer wear the armbands.
Ahead of Monday’s fixture between England and Iran, there was a problem with FIFA’s ticketing system made it difficult for fans of both countries to enter the Khalifa International Stadium, raising further concerns about the organisation of the World Cup in Qatar.
As a result, at the start of the first Group B game thousands of seats were unoccupied with the stadium gradually starting to fill up as the first half went underway. In the match, England thrashed Iran 6-2 to get their World Cup campaign off to a flying start. Gareth Southgate, who has frequently faced criticism for playing it too conservatively, saw his Three Lions put Carlos Queiroz’s team to the sword, quelling some sceptics and making a statement at the start of the group ties.
On the same day, at the Al Thumama Stadium, the Netherlands defeated Senegal 2-0 courtesy of late goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen. Even though Louis van Gaal’s team did not play well, they found the extra gear to get another goal, the second one coming from Klaassen in stoppage time of a poor Group A match that did not rise to the promise of fireworks fans expected.
The hostilities continued in the match between the US and Wales. Gareth Bale was once again the talisman for Wales as he both earned and converted a penalty kick to claim a 1-1 draw for his team against the USMNT. This was before the upset of the game that shocked the entire world. In their Group C opening against Argentina on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat the reigning South American champions 2-1 at the Lusail Stadium.
La Albiceleste, one of the favourites to win in Qatar 2022, took the lead thanks to Lionel Messi’s penalty after 10 just minutes of play. The expected rout of the Arabian side appeared to be underway. After three attempts by Lionel Scaloni’s team were disallowed for offside, Saudi Arabia pounced on this reprieve early in the second half, scoring two goals, from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, in a five-minute span for Herve Renard’s team to clinch a historic victory for the Saudis.
The first of the African teams playing, Tunisia, featured on Tuesday, and they earned a point after a valiant 0-0 draw with Denmark after Andreas Cornelius’ squandered a glorious opportunity to give Denmark maximum points and Kasper Schmeichel made a spectacular save to stop Issam Jebali in the first half at the Education City Stadium. History was made again in a 4-1 victory over Australia on Tuesday, when Olivier Giroud tied Thierry Henry’s scoring record for France and helped Les Bleus to rally from behind to open their World Cup defence with victory. It meant France were off to a strong start as they attempted to defend their title as world champions. Off the pitch, following FIFA’s threat to issue on-field bookings to seven European teams, including Germany, for donning the controversial OneLove armbands, the German Football Federation (DFB) considered legal action against the world football governing body as they filed a challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) regarding what they believed as the legality of the decision.
Meanwhile, at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, in Qatar, as the defending champions France defeated Australia 4-1, Rwandan referee Salma Mukansanga made history by becoming the first African woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match. The 34-year-old featured as the game’s fourth official. Along with the Japanese official Yamashita Yoshimi and France’s Stephanie Frappart, she is one of only three female referees chosen for the first time to officiate during the men’s FIFA World Cup. After officiating the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January, the only other top competition left for her the Rusizi-born referee to officiate was the World Cup and that is what she accomplished at Qatar 2022.
Back in the Al Bayt Stadium, Croatia’s World Cup Group F opener against Morocco ended in a 0-0 stalemate, falling far short of expectations due to their lacklustre performance even though Luka Modric set an unprecedented record, becoming the first player to play in both the World Cup and Euros in three different decades. That was before Germany suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to Japan in their World Cup opening tie. It was the second biggest upset at Qatar following Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia by the same margin. Bundesliga stars Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano came off the bench to upset the four-time champions and take the excitement of the World Cup to new levels. The thrill of the football was made more feverish when La Roja took to the field and thumped Costa Rica 7-0. It was a statement victory for Spain as they made sure they were not the latest high-profile country to suffer a World Cup upset.
At the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium the following day, Belgium defeated a tenacious Canada 1-0 thanks to a goal from Michy Batshuayi. In the Group F opener, Switzerland defeated Cameroon 1-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium courtesy of Breel Embolo’s goal. It was the only goal scored but it was enough to allow Switzerland take the win against Embolo’s country of birth. The Cameroonians were expectedly unhappy and a video emerged of what some have claimed to be irate fans attacking the Embolo family house in Cameroon. Then, South Korea’s World Cup Group H match against Uruguay ended in a disappointing 0-0 stalemate, despite the involvement of the inspirational Son Heung-min for the Koreans and Luis Suarez for the Uruguayans.
One more historical feat followed on Thursday as Portugal needed a couple of late goals to pull off a tense 3-2 victory over Ghana. From the game, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first ever player to score in five World Cups. He successfully converted a penalty in Ghana’s Group H to add to his lengthy record of accomplishments.
Another accolade followed Ronaldo’s at the Lusail Iconic Stadium when Brazil defeated Serbia 2-0 in a routine victory to begin their World Cup campaign on a sure footing with one of the best goals scored yet. In the game, Richarlison netted both goals with Tottenham forward first scoring from close-range goal soon after the hour mark to give the South American World Cup contenders their first goal of the tournament. But, he left the best for last. In the 73rd minute, the forward scored a bicycle kick that sealed the victory with such skill and composure that the goal has been labelled Goal of the Tournament.
So far, the goals have flowed, but fans have noticed longer extra time added to games in both halves. The goal of FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer, is to ensure that every minute of play on the field is utilised and not wasted due to delays. Injuries, substitutions, red cards, penalty kicks, and especially lengthy goal celebrations have been given more time, which has made games linger longer and been exciting till the very end. The excitement continues and there will most likely be more upsets before the next round of matches are played. Which teams will be going home early? Time will tell.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
