Qatar's World Cup victory shows full extent of Fifa's greed

How would you like a World Cup held in one city? How about if we make that city so hot it constitutes a health risk, say 50 degrees?

Right, what if we air-condition everything, heck have the whole competition indoors? Can we make sure it’s an uncomfortable place for women, gays and Jews too please? No, problem, Fifa have delivered. Welcome to Qatar 2022.

You have to admire the chutzpah – not a word to use at immigration – of Qatar for even bidding for the thing. That they have won it is depressing. In their technical assessment, Qatar was deemed the highest risk. Then the Executive Committee voted for it.

Russia hosting a World Cup in 2018 is a risk. There are huge issues the country needs to tackle, the most serious of which are social rather than those of infrastructure. Qatar, though, does not really have a coherent society to restructure. The country has one city, Doha, which I visited this time last year when England played Brazil in friendly. It is fine if you’ve got money, a high boredom threshold and live in one of the steel and glass skyscrapers that rear out of the desert.

Less nice if you are one of the migrant workers from South Asia who live in grim conditions on the outskirts of town and are bussed in every day to build the things.

Of the 1.7 million people estimated to live in the country only 200,000 are native Qataris. The rest are expats and migrant workers. According to a UN refugee agency report from two years ago the Qatari government “does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.”

Trying to get a beer after game? You need your passport to access one of the exclusive and extortionate hotel bars. You have to travel everywhere by taxi. Like all the Emirates, it is an ideal playground for those who like spending money and privacy. Oh and the football team? Qatar didn’t get out of the group stages at the Gulf Cup.

There is no doubt Qatar will come through on the money, there is no doubt that they have had some impressive people pushing their cause. Bringing football to the Middle East is brave, of course, and there is no doubting the generous hospitality of the region (for some guests).

But this is not a new frontier like South Africa was. This is a small wealthy country, many of whose citizens can afford to go an watch a World Cup wherever it is held. The only thing that seemed to be in its favour – aside of course from vast wealth – was that the TV rights will be more lucrative near a European time zone.

In reality, Fifa has long put money ahead of football. Qatar 2022 marks the moment they stopped pretending otherwise.

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