World Cup Controversy
Introductory paragraph: I chose the topic because of my passion for soccer. Every four years a world class competition is made and I have a nostalgic connection to it. The World Cup made my family come together to watch 32 national teams face off to lift the elusive world cup trophy. The competition has been a very big part of many people lives. The world cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. With my love for the game I decided to dig deeper and learn more about the inner-workings of the company FIFA. Surprisingly, in my research, I found out about the controversies surrounding FIFA. At first, I thought the company FIFA was a innocent non-profit that has a great love for the sport. However, there is bigger purpose to FIFA and scandals to it.
Waste of money for the hosting country
I chose to research the 2014 World Cup held in Rio, Brazil. Contrary to popular belief, FIFA does not allow host countries to use stadiums that were already built, requiring host countries to build brand new stadiums. The Brazilian government has spent more than 11 billion dollars getting ready for the World Cup. In addition, the stadiums have to be so big that they can only be built in locations that are far away from cities. This adds to the cost. For example, one of Brazil’s biggest purchases is located in the small city of Manaus, building a brand new 270 million dollar stadium. Manuois is so remote that it is almost impossible to reach by car, which is why officials had to have the stadium materials brought in by boat. This is a waste of money because the stadium is only going to be used for 4 World Cup games and there’s no team in Manaus that can fill it afterwards.Therefore making the stadium useless after the event. This caused riots in the streets of Rio as local residents are outraged with the major spending in the competition rather than spending money for greater causes.
My analysis: For a competition, I understand how a country with a failing economy can have many people are outraged. My eyes have been opened to some of the financial aspects of the world famous competition. Â https://www.businessinsider.com/300-million-world-cup-stadium-is-nearly-abandoned-2018-6
FIFA (federation internationale de futbol association)
FIFA is one of the world’s largest and well known nonprofits. Nevertheless, former president of FIFA Sepp Blatter ran the organization with absolute power, took bribes, and acted with impunity. The most recent controversy was a bribery scandal in choosing where the World Cup will be chosen. The host of the 2022 World Cup will be Qatar. A place where temperatures can reach 131 degrees Fahrenheit. A difficult environment to hold a professional sporting event outdoors. Qatar successfully bribed FIFA voters to secure its place as the host country. Major concerns about Qatar being chosen were raised and issues with infrastructure and safety were predicted. Now that Qatar is getting ready to host, all the predictions are coming true. Regarded as “slave state in the 21st century” Qatar’s residents and immigrant workers are often times held captive by their bosses who withhold their visas. Leaving workers trapped there. In an expose from MSNBC, Qatar’s deplorable practices were shown. Bosses take advantage of poor immigrants with high hopes and working contracts. These bosses seize their passports upon arrival and force them to work for almost nothing. Furthermore, working conditions are hazardous, so much so that an “estimated 4000 plus workers are dying before the first ball is even kicked in 2022”.
My analysis: FIFA has always been just a simple company in my eyes that  just controls the rules of soccer. Nevertheless, with all the research I have found I have truly understood what horrors come with conducting the world’s most watched competition. Now I understand how something like this is truly controversial. I am truly outraged about the scandals around Qatar and the way these contracting companies are treating their workers.
https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/the-world-cup-disaster-in-qatar-269032515792
