The Qatar World Cup furore puts football on trial
Just over a week from the start of the World Cup in Brazil and Fifa is embroiled in its deepest crisis since its formation in 1904. When Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup, it was understandably controversial. Last month, Fifa president Sepp Blatter called it a "mistake". But fresh allegations, made this weekend, now go far beyond simple controversy.
There are three elements to the Qatari story, and it will surprise no one with even a passing interest in the Machiavellian world of Fifa's governance that it was only in relation to the least important of the three – the weather and scheduling (as well as a healthy dose of presidential politics) – that Blatter declared the decision a "mistake".… Seguir leyendo »