Qatar Deserves to Host the 2022 World Cup - Essay Example

April 23, Qatar deserves to host the 2022 world cup FIFA, the world’s football governing body resolved andannounced that Qatar will host the 2022 world cup, a decision that was not well received from many parts of the globe. It seems like people never expected Qatar to win the bid and criticisms led to alliterations of bribery and other irregularities in Qatar’s bit that could have granted them unfair advantage into hosting the world cup. Investigations noted some malpractices that led to penalties against stakeholders in the football governance scope and these have been used to justify the claims that Qatar should not host the world cup. Some of the reasons behind the arguments are that Qatar did not qualify to host the event, and that is why it bribed its way through, and that it is not prepared to host the world cup. Such arguments may however be invalid, and this paper explores evidence and diverse arguments to explain the position that Qatar deserves to host the world cup. Political, moral, and economic arguments, as well as critical analysis of arguments against Qatar’s ability to host the 2022 world cup develops insights on the need to support Qatar for the event. A history of countries that have hosted the event, by region is one of the reasons that justify the position that Qatar deserves to host the event in the year 2022. Throughout the 20th century, FIFA organized many world cup events but the trend in countries and regions that hosted the event identify injustice to countries such as Qatar and their regions. Until the end of the twentieth century, a total of 16-world cup competitions had been held but none had been held in the Asian region, similar to Africa. South American region hosted four of the tournaments, Europe region hosted nine, and the North, Central American, and Caribbean region hosted three of the tournaments. Out of the 16, some countries hosted the event more than once. Italy, for example, hosted the world cup twice in the century, France hosted the event twice, and Mexico also hosted it twice and the trend that identifies favoritism, may have been based on abilities of regions and countries to host the event. Need for equity, especially because of the event’s name and target participants and audience, which are the entire globe, therefore means necessity of a change in the favoritism in selecting host to equity. The Asian region and Africa therefore deserve more attention in selection of the event’s host and this justified selection of Qatar to host the world cup in the year 2022. Critiques of the decision may not have recovered from the tradition in the 20th century in which American and European regions dominated the list of host. Consequently, these parties would be too sensitive to identify reasons for disqualifying a country from an alternative region than they would a country from the two blocks and this could be the basis of all the reasons that have been raised against Qatar’s ability to host the world cup. Any consideration against the country should therefore consider favoritism and equity, rationales that justify Qatar as the country to host the world cup, as a country that has never hosted the event and even as a representation of a region that has only hosted the event only once in almost a century-long period of the event (FIFA 1). Benefits that world cup hosts derive from the event is another reason that justify the decision to hold the event in Qatar and this can be explored from two perspectives. The first rationale that justifies the need to host the event in Qatar is the possible scramble for these benefits to be in a particular region. Australia and the United States placed their bids for hosting the world cup, alongside other Asian countries and their interest and those of their allies, in the benefits, could be behind negative criticism against Qatar. Care should therefore be taken before considering the criticisms against Qatar because of potential conflict of interest. Another rationale in the debate is consideration of benefits that Qatar could earn from hosting the world cup and the country’s need for these benefits means that it deserve to host the event. While one could easily agree to the fact that the Asian region deserve to host the event in order to attract the benefit, an understanding of history of the other Asian countries that placed bids to host the event, with respect to hosting it, justifies Qatar’s need to have won the event. Korea and Japan that ails from the regions, for example, hosted the event in the year 2002 and this means that in considering both regions and countries, Qatar deserves to host the 2022 world cup than any of the other bidding countries (FIFA1 1). In relating the benefits to Qatar, it deserves to host the world the event’s ability to facilitate development of new facilities and improvement of existing facilities that are consistent with the event’s activities. The country is for example bound to build more stadia for the events and to improve its existing facilities to standards that are required for hosting the world cup and the most significant advantage is that hosting the tournament offers the country a better opportunity to attract external investors for the developments, including FIFA. Qatar also deserves to host the world cup because the event offers it an opportunity for football development programs, something that can hardly occur in the absence of such an opportunity. Changing the host country may therefore deny the country the benefit that it has already anticipated. Similarly, the opportunity to host world cup will boost cooperation among stakeholders to Qatar’s football such as the government and the country’s football association to facilitate management and the country’s performance in international football. This is particularly true because of the fact that many countries have won the world cup when they hosted the competition and others have made their best performances as hosts to the event. Qatar may therefore improve its international competitiveness in football and sustaining the improvement could have extensive benefits such as talent development into highly rated professionals in football. Hosting the world cup, together with its preparations will also empower Qatar’s citizens through interactions with various international stakeholders who shall be attracted by the global event. This will ensure social utility in the interactions and impartation of skills and new cultures that may benefit natives (FIFA1 1). Economic benefits that hosting a world cup tournament offers also explains why Qatar deserves to host the 2022 world cup, first because the country deserves the benefits like any other country does and because cancelling the event in Qatar will deny the country the benefits that it has already visualized and anticipated. Hosting the tournament will boost the country’s economy through expenditure of foreigners in match tickets and other related expenditures such as accommodation and other utilities. Earnings from advertisements in the local media is another benefit to the country’s economy should it host the event. In addition, holding the event in another country would attract spectators from Qatar and this would mean withdrawal from the country’s economy in its citizens’ expenditures overseas. Hosting the event however prevents this and therefore improves the country’s economy. These benefits are however associated with hosting a global event like the world cup and the fact that Qatar has never hosted a world cup justify its position to enjoy the benefits. In addition, cancelling the country’s opportunity will undermine its future opportunities to host the event and therefore opportunities to enjoy the benefits. Qatar therefore deserves to host the world cup because this may be its only opportunity to reap these benefits (Devecioglu 19). A review of reasons that have been offered against Qatar hosting the 2022 world cup and associated weaknesses of the arguments also explains why Qatar deserves to host the tournament. One of the counter arguments to the tournament in Qatar is the legitimacy of the process in which Qatar won the bid to host the events. Corruption allegations have been made and evidence offered to show that the process was marred with irregularities. While these claims may be true, the framework with which they are alleged to have occurred justifies Qatar hosting the event. Involvement of individuals in corruption, which could have been due to self-interest, should not be used against the country and having subjected the individuals to punishments for their alleged misconduct means that the country should not be victimized because this would amount to double punishment. Another argument against Qatar hosting the world cup is the country’s weather at the scheduled period for the world cup and while the fact that weather will be bad for the tournament, alternatives exist to taking the tournament to another country. First, the stadia could be air conditioned during games to ensure favorable environment to players and spectators and unless Qatar and other stakeholders express unwillingness to condition the stadia, the country deserves to host the tournament against the bad weather claim. In addition, the bad weather is seasonal and instead of opposing the world cup in Qatar, the opponents could have argues for rescheduling the event to a different month, such as in December (Isanti 1). Opponents, especially western media, have also raised concerns over Qatar’s human rights history. While noting adherence to sharia law as a reason to opposing the tournament in the country, the media forget that western countries have executed more inhumane activities than Qatar is accused of. Unlike the United States that executed more than 40 convicts in the year 2012, Qatar did not execute a single convict in the same year and this identifies potential bias in the reason and by extension any other reasons, which have originated from the west to oppose the 2022 world cup in Qatar (Isanti 1). Ruthven also notes that criticisms, such as on legitimacy, was majorly from the west and this supports possible biasness against the Asian continent. In addition, Qatar has demonstrated its willingness to condition stadia for games (1). Allegations exists that would undermine the need to hold the 2022 world cup in Qatar. Claims of illegitimacy of the decision, poor weather, and Qatar’s reliance on sharia law are examples. A review of these arguments however invalidates them based on facts or potential bias. Reasons why Qatar deserve to host the world cup are however evident and overwhelming. The country and the continent deserve to host the tournament for equity reasons and Qatar has a special chance to reap benefits of hosting the world cup, a chance that it might not have again in years. Consequently, and despite the allegations, Qatar deserve to host the 2022 world cup. Works cited Devecioglu, Sebahattin. “Ccost benefit analysis of the 2022 FIFA world cup.” 2010. Web. April 23, 2013. . FIFA. “Fact sheet.” FIFA. N.d. Web. April 23, 2014. . FIFA1. “Benefits of bidding for and hosting FIFA’s other world cup events.” FIFA. 2014. Web. April 23, 2014. . Isanti, Tina. “Breaking prejudices over Qatar’s 2022 world cup.” Bq Magazine. September 12, 2013. . Ruthven, Graham. “Is criticisms of Qatar, world cup 2022 host, justified?” ESPN FC United. April 18, 2014. Web. April 23, 2014. . Read More