On the 2nd of December 2010, it was announced that Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After beating United States and Australia in bidding race for hosting the big game, Qatar became the first Arab state and the smallest country to host the World Cup. Qatar went ahead with full pride and colossal amount of money to host this World Cup and vowed to set apart Qatar 2022 from all the previous world cups. It is estimated that Qatar splurged more than $220 billion in the dozen years since being chosen as the host, this amount being 15 times more than what previous host Russia spent for the 2018 event ($14 billion).
Qatar being the only nation from the Middle East to host the biggest football party with such jumbo expenditure marks the first anomaly of the event. Qatar built seven new soccer stadiums and it’s reported that after the event, sections of the stadiums will be deconstructed and donated to other countries and the buildings repurposed into community space for schools, shops, cafes, sporting facilities and health clinics. One venue, Stadium 974, was built using recycled shipping containers and will be entirely dismantled and removed. Stadium 974 is the first temporary venue in FIFA World Cup History.
Another fascinating thing about these stadiums is that all of the stadiums are within a 55-kilometre radius of central Doha, meaning that teams and fans will not have to fly between matches as in other tournaments.
In Qatar World Cup 2022 it will be seen for the first time that female referees will officiate in men’s World Cup matches. Of 36 referees, three – Yamashita Yoshimi, Salima Mukansanga and Stephanie Frappart – are female. Former English professional footballer David Beckham serves as an Ambassador of this World Cup, charging a whopping amount of $277 million from the host country.
With the harsh summer temperature at Qatar, World Cup 2022 is held in winter, breaking the traditional streak as no previous World Cup was played in winters.
Advanced technology is one more in the surprising list of Qatar WC 2022. The World Cup 2022 is having a brand new technology called ‘SEMI-AUTOMATED OFFSIDE TECHNOLOGY’, which is being used for the first time in a world cup. This new technology will detect the position of the ball with an ‘inertial measurement unit sensor’ inside the ball. This will also collect and track the player position during a possible offside chance.
Another allure for the fans in this World Cup is the enthralling appearance of two great football legends of this era: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Lionel Messi (Argentina), both of whom are playing the last Word Cup of their career.
Another side to this World Cup is the cultural differences between Qatar and past host countries of Europe and America. There is a wide gap between Middle-East and Europe, and this World cup is somehow bridging the gulf between them. A few controversies arose over the stern laws of Qatar which were not to the liking of Western nations playing the game, along with the death of many migrant labourers since the preparation began in 2010, for which Qatar faced severe criticism. Curbs on alcohol and LGBT rights were two concerns for many supporters as well as competing nations. Qatar World Cup is the first to be held in a Muslim country and both these are strictly prohibited under Islamic Law. After FIFA announced that no alcohol or beer will be sold at the stadiums, it presented challenges for the organisers of an event sponsored by a beer brand and often associated with beer-drinking fans.
FIFA also rejected the Belgium team’s arm band because of the word “Love” on the collar combined with a rainbow-coloured trim on the shirt which shows a support to the LGBT community. According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team “must wear the armband provided by FIFA”. This came after the captains of England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark had planned to wear “OneLove” armbands designed to convey a message against discrimination but were told by FIFA they would be booked if they did so.
This isn’t the first time a World Cup has been caught up in geopolitical controversies. The 2018 tournament in Russia raised questions about FIFA’s cozy relationship with authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil sparked an international outcry over the forced removal of tens of thousands of poor and working-class Brazilians to make room for new tournament related infrastructure.
Notwithstanding the ruckus, Qatar World Cup has not been marred by the controversies before the Kick Off. Instead, Qatar is hosting the big event with meticulous care and great honour. At the inaugural ceremony of this Worid Cup Quranic verses were recited by 20-year-old Quran reciter Ghanim Al Muftah, who is also a FIFA World Cup ambassador. “Oh mankind, indeed we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another,” Ghanim said. This is probably the first time that a FIFA World Cup opened with Quranic verses. Ghanim, born with a rare condition that impairs the development of the lower spine, appeared alongside Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. The American actor sat on the pitch beside Ghanim at the inaugural ceremony. Jungkook, a member of K-Pop band BTS, also performed at the opening ceremony which received love and appreciation from music lovers and football fans alike.
The writer is a student at Aligarh Muslim University. [email protected]

Sheikh Aatif