By the skin of its teeth, the US men’s soccer team qualified last month for the 2022 World Cup. It should have been thrilling, but I was left cold. Not because of the performance, but because of the tournament itself. Having caught the “fever” when I lived in Europe, normally I’d be following the qualification round and group lottery closely. But I might sit this one out. It’s hard to be excited for a competition when the host country acquired it through corruption, when the host country finances terrorism and the infrastructure was built using slave labor.
This is all true of Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup will be staged.
It’s amazing how we never learn or, rather, prefer to keep our heads in the sand for the pleasures of entertainment.
Current events put the hypocrisy in sharp relief.
Western nations are united in condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Where were these same nations when in 2014 they allowed Vladimir Putin the prestige of staging the Olympics — during which he began the takeover of Crimea? A huge soft power success for Putin, the Olympics took place during the Euromaiden protest in Ukraine, and were immediately followed by the Donbas War, Putin’s first foray into annexing eastern Ukraine.
Maybe, just maybe, the international community shouldn’t have allowed Russia its Olympic glory?
Four years later, that is, four years after the annexation of Crimea, Russia hosted the World Cup, which it acquired, like Qatar, through a corrupt FIFA bidding process.
The show must go on, eh?
On to 2022: According to Western intelligence, China and Russia colluded to delay Russia’s invasion of Ukraine until after the Olympics.
And they say sport is free of politics?
If only. Here we are, with a war in Ukraine that is the culmination of the West choosing to ignore Putin’s increasingly aggressive behavior, and no one has learned the lesson. Coverage of the World Cup has started, and not one article I’ve read has mentioned corruption, slave labor or terror financing. The global community — fans, journalists, nation states — has decided to collude in ignoring these ignominies.
When the next Hamas attack on my brethren in Israel takes place, it will be directed in part from Qatar, which houses Hamas leadership, and it will be funded by Qatar, which funnels millions into the Gaza Strip under the guise of humanitarian aid allowing them to rebuild their rocket arsenal.
We should remember this when we’re chanting “Olé” this November as the US men’s team takes to the pitch.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
