“Calls for a boycott of the World Cup have only found an echo in Europe, not in Latin America, Asia and even less in the Arab world”

• Qatar, a peninsula in the south of the Persian Gulf no larger than Ile-de-France, is a small country (11,571 km²) which wants to be big, as evidenced by the Football World Cup, which takes place from November 20 to December 18.
• Until the 1930s, the Qatari economy was based on the trade in pearls caught in its waters. The Great Depression and then the Second World War plunged the country into a serious economic crisis. The discovery of oil fields at the end of the 1930s was its salvation. Although it is only a small oil producer, Qatar has large reserves of natural gas, which today provides it with significant revenues.
• At the same time, the authorities are seeking to diversify the economy by 2030. The 2022 World Cup has made it possible to develop infrastructures at high speed.
• Since the designation of Qatar as host of the tournament, the controversies follow one another. The first relate to the absence of sports and hotel infrastructures, as well as the extremely high temperatures. Suspicions of corruption on the attribution of this World Cup have, moreover, mobilized the Swiss, American and French justices.
• The environmental impact of the competition is also debated. Finally, breaches of human rights, whether of migrant workers, women or LGBTQ+ people, are denounced by non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• How has Qatar used sport to shine on the international scene? What geopolitical lessons from the first FIFA Arab World Cup can we already learn? Nabil Ennasri, doctor in political science and co-author of the book The Empire of Qatar, the new master of the game? (Paperback), will answer your questions starting at 10 a.m.

World Cup ” :

The world covers the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, because our role as a general information media is not to conceal information but to bring it to our readers, who themselves choose whether to read or not articles devoted to sports competition. We cover all aspects of the event, whether sporting, geopolitical, social or environmental… This article summarizes our editorial choice.

For further :

Chronic. “The fable of the apoliticism of sport should not survive 2022”

Reportage. One year from the World Cup, Qatar ready to shine despite the controversies

To analyse. Between indignation and refusal of the boycott, the French political parties divided

Narrative. Qatar, this former Eldorado for French players and coaches

All our articles on the 2022 World Cup are to be found here