GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

For all the excitement of a WC, one cannot ignore the scandals & sufferings Qatar has generated

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

BRAZIL are well-placed to win a record sixth World Cup, Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal lead the European charge. An ageing Lionel Messi can finally silence his remaining critics with global gold. African champions, Senegal, have the squad and the personality to become the first from the continent to reach the semifinals.

There will be goals, cards, penalties, enduring images, heartbreaks and tears. Yet, it feels vulgar to talk about the World Cup from a footballing context knowing what has happened in the last 12 years.

Since that still surreal Thursday on December 2, 2010, almost everything about the Qatar bid and the subsequent win has been questioned. Allegations of bribery and corruption continue to linger, like impure Delhi air. Workers have not only been exploited but people who went to Qatar to build a better life for their families back home returned to their families in coffins. That both of these are facts and not allegations itself is a terrible look for the organisers.

At some level, this World Cup could have been genuine cause for celebration. A first Muslim World Cup. A first Arab World Cup. And the revamp of the infamous kafala system.

Yet, it’s a World Cup that will probably be remembered for all the wrong reasons.