The United States put in a bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and it looked like it had a solid chance to get it, but Qatar, at least in the eyes of every American, came out of nowhere and ended up winning the bid for the Cup, something that sent soccer fans of America in a little uproar, but I think Americans need to look past a couple things. First, we need to look past the fact that we think we are the greatest nation in the world and think back to 1994, when in the soccer world we were no better than Qatar. There was no professional soccer league and soccer as a sport was way behind baseball, football, and basketball. Because of the success the 1994 FIFA World Cup brought to the United States, the MLS was formed and has done well for itself in fourteen years of existence. Soccer has grown in popularity lately and the United States does have all the facilities to house a great World Cup. So why did FIFA decide to go with Qatar? In my opinion, it was because of the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country to host a World Cup, just like South Africa was the first African nation to host a World Cup. Africa had a lot of success in new stadiums, so FIFA will be giving Qatar a chance, which will be remolding some stadiums and using new technology to create an atmosphere that is well suited for the players to play. I would have loved to have gone to a World Cup match in America, but there is no reason Qatar should not be given the chance that South Africa was given this past summer.
I find myself giong back and forth with this issue. I don't see how Qatar as a country has the space to hold an event like this. The World Cup is hosted by a single country, not a region of countries, and I don't see Qatar not reaching out to neighboring nations. I'm not saying the U.S. should have been handed this opportunity, but putting space and issues based on geography into the equation, I am pretty confused how Qatar pitched a winning idea.
ReplyDeleteThis subject just tickles me. I cannot help but wonder if possibly FIFA just woke up that morning feeling a sense of spreading the W.C. around. I mean they awarded it to Russia over England which could be a surprise but at least Russia is a huge country. Qatar puzzles me, I guess FIFA just wants to expand soccer all around the world and give every country an opportunity of hosting the greatest world wide event.
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