World Cup 2022: A preview of the controversies and action ahead
The controversies
The World Cup is upon us once again as Qatar take on Ecuador in Sunday’s opener, but as we get nearer to the tournament, the negativity only seems to grow.
With only two days remaining, organisers have pulled the sale of alcohol within the premises of the eight stadiums that will host the games, leaving fans and alcohol companies outraged.
Major FIFA sponsor Budweiser, who had exclusive rights to sell beer at the World Cup, with the sponsorship being worth £75 million, earlier tweeted: “Well, this is awkward” in response to the decision, but this tweet has since been deleted.
Alcohol still allowed – to a restricted extent
Fans will still be able to consume alcohol in select fan zones and within licensed venues, while fans who have purchased corporate tickets (which start at around £19,000) can drink within the stadium.
Bud zero will also still be allowed to be served to everyone within all stadium grounds.
Due to the culture of Qatar, drinking is strictly regulated which clashes with the culture of football fans, with many of those travelling expected to consume alcohol as they always have done when going to various tournaments.
Fans and pundits also appear to be much more outraged more at the timing of the decision, rather than the decision itself, with this being further unpredictability for the World Cup that we have already seen with other decisions and now expect to see more of as the competition is played out.
With all this indecisiveness, it further proves that allowing Qatar to host the World Cup was a poor choice as this further restriction of alcohol consumption can be seen as another way of the country appearing to be unwelcome to travellers.
Concerns had already been raised over various different issues of equality such as Qatar not having certain LGBTQ+ rights as well as women not having the same rights as men due to the country’s male guardianship law.
These alongside Qatar not having proper football infrastructure when it came to both facilities and modern stadiums, which thousands of migrants died building over the last 12 years, raises many questions that remain unanswered as we approach kick off.
The football itself
Despite all the controversies, fans will still find ways to enjoy this World Cup especially from home as most days of the group stage consist of four games full of quality. Some of the big games early on include a British derby between England and Wales, a massive tie between Germany and Spain, as well as tournament holders France playing dark horses Denmark.
The favourites for this year’s tournament are the two South American heavyweights of Argentina and Brazil while just behind them are the most likely team from Europe to win are France who will be looking to reclaim the trophy with their star-studded attack involving Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Antoine Griezmann.
For the British sides, England will be aiming to put on some better performances than they have displayed over the past year following a disastrous Nations League campaign which has left them on a winless run of six games. Despite the poor form, England have a star-studded side and a relatively kind looking group involving Iran, the USA and Wales which they are fully expected to top. Wales meanwhile are making their first finals appearance since 1958 and will look to star man Gareth Bale whose goal against Ukraine in June got Wales to their first World Cup in 64 years. Wales find themselves in the previously mentioned group with rivals England, in which they will be confident competing against any side in the group.
There is also a big chance that an African team may make the semi-finals for the first time ever as Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco, and Tunisia all bringing quality across the board. There is disappointment however that Africa’s best player, Sadio Mane of Senegal, will be missing the World Cup through injury.
End of an era for some of football’s greats
This tournament will also potentially be the last for many of football’s best players as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Luka Modric, and Neymar may all retire from international duty as their careers are winding down over the next couple of years.
For the players mentioned above, this will be their final chance to get a hold of their first World Cup so all will be aiming to end their international careers on the highest of highs. This is one of the ways that this World Cup could potentially be one of the most special and memorable that we get to see, despite the lack of energy for the build-up of the tournament so far.
