#1528 The Ugly Underbelly of The Beautiful Game (Qatar World Cup)

Air Date 11/30/2022

Today, we take a look at the context of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar including the labor abuses endemic in the construction of the facilities, the authoritarianism and anti-LGBTQ policies of the Qatari government, and the corruption fundamental to the inner working of FIFA that brought the tournament to Qatar in the first place.

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Qatar and a World Cup controversy - Front Burner - Air Date 11-10-22

In the decade since Qatar won its bid to host this year's tournament, allegations of bribery, discrimination and human rights abuses have threatened to overshadow the game.

Ch. 2: What Does Qatar Want? - Pro Revolution Soccer - Air Date 11-25-22

Tom speaks to Lebanese writer and activist Ali Reda about why Gulf petrostates are investing billions into football – particularly in the north of England – and what the British state gets out of the deal.

Ch. 3: Qatar and the World Cup of Shame - Burn It All Down - Air Date 4-20-21

We discuss the (longstanding) controversy around the Qatar 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup including the ongoing inhumane working conditions and indentured servitude for migrant laborers building stadiums that have led to at least 6,500 deaths

Ch. 4: World Cup: Welcome to Qatar! - Today, Explained - Air Date 11-4-22

Soccer is sometimes called “the second religion of the Arab World,” and Qatar is the region’s first country to host the World Cup.

Ch. 5: Qatar World Cup: FIFA president defends tournament in extraordinary speech - Channel 4 News - Air Date 11-19-22

FIFA's President Gianni Infantino gave an extraordinary speech in which he railed against Western hypocrisy over migrant workers

Ch. 6: 'One Love' campaign hit by threat of FIFA sanctions - DW News - Air Date 11-21-22

The threat of sanctions has resulted in the seven European nations who had signed up to the One Love campaign, including England and Germany, announcing their decision to abandon plans to wear the rainbow-themed captain’s armbands.

Ch. 7: Boom in demand for 'One Love' arm bands banned by FIFA - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 11-24-22

The "One Love" armbands that captains of some teams at the World Cup had been intending to wear to show support for the LGBTQ+ community are seeing a boom in demand among the general public after FIFA decided to ban players from wearing the armbands.

Ch. 8: Qatar World Cup - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 11-21-22

John Oliver discusses the Qatar World Cup, the human rights violations happening in the sporting event’s host country, and what perfection really means to David Beckham.

Ch. 9: Human Rights and the Qatar World Cup - Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters - Air Date 11-16-22

In this episode, we speak with Michael Page, deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch We discuss how and why migrant workers were exploited in Qatar and then have a conversation about human rights

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 10: How FIFA corrupted the World Cup - Vox - Air Date 11-23-22

FIFA announced the 2022 World Cup would take place in a surprising country, Qatar. At that same meeting, they also announced that the 2018 World Cup would take place in Russia. These selections set off a new chapter in FIFA’s history

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments on the propaganda master class put on by the president of FIFA

Reference: FIFA President Gianni Infantino Press conference

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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