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The tendency by FIFA and especially UEFA to prioritize money for its partners and for its officials above principles and sport has turned me away from organized
by zahma 5y ago
The tendency by FIFA and especially UEFA to prioritize money for its partners and for its officials above principles and sport has turned me away from organized football. I find it repugnant that when BBC and The Guardian (among others) reported back in 2013 on Qatar’s labor conditions in sweltering heat, the deaths, and what is essentially slavery to build stadiums, it was met by the football community and larger news media with a resounding thud. It wasn’t until the last few years that footballers who had nothing to lose started to speak their minds. It’s honestly disgusting to me to the point where I don’t know when I’ll ever want to watch the World Cup or Champion’s League again.
I used to get excited by these events because the sport still seemed to be prioritized and people got genuinely excited by seeing talent rise to the level. I came of age hearing just how good Messi would become after his early appearance for Argentina in 2006 I think. His rise has witnessed the transition to players representing teams and entire brands. It hardly feels like sport but lifestyle, prestige, and entertainment, something Qatar is desperately trying to purchase as their oil money starts to dry up.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-24394971 https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-24394971
Maybe there was earlier reporting on this but this was the best I could do on my phone.
- mschuster91 5y ago> I find it repugnant that when BBC and The Guardian (among others) reported back in 2013 on Qatar’s labor conditions in sweltering heat, the deaths, and essential slavery to build stadiums, it met the football community and larger news media with a resounding thud. Unfortunately, human rights violations don't interest anyone anymore, unless they are of political interest to someone (e.g. the butchering of Jamal Khashoggi). The UN is a dead paper tiger, with the US, China and Russia in the Human Rights Commission and the Security Council each protecting themselves and their respective allies from consequences. The US only care about wherever they see economic interests (Iraq!), the EU is too fractured and under the economic thumbs of Russia (gas) and China (cheap goods, destination for German cars), and China and Russia don't give any fuck about human rights. We live in a world of the strongest, not in a world based on the global rule of law. And I fear it might take another World War or an alien invasion for humanity to finally overcome that. The alternative, and this is where I fear the planet is heading, is China exporting its questionable ideas of authoritarianism across the world.
- pibechorro 5y agoAs it always has been. Decentralization is key, power to the people.
- mschuster91 5y agoHard to stand up against Russia or China with any "decentralized" environment - this is what Europe currently experiences: a small nation like Lithuania alone is powerless against a bully. We need more centralization (democratically backed, of course!), not less.
- spaetzleesser 5y agoSame for Olympics and Formula 1. They will always go where the money is and don't give a damn about human rights.
- alkonaut 5y agoSo long as FIFA is completely rotten and thinks “one country one vote” is a good idea, this will be the norm. World Cups and nomination of officials will be done by those countries that can afford to pay poor/small/corrupt countries for votes. We should expect to see Petrostate dictatorships (and China) hold world cups and Olympics more and more often. Not sure what the solution is, but my first attempt act fixing FIFA would be to dismantle it and start a new org without the voting system of the current one. Even “only World Cup qualified states from the past decade can vote” would be an improvement on the status quo.