Will There be a Change?

With Infantino the new FIFA president, some people are expecting Qatar to lose their World Cup nomination and it be moved to a different country. Although the question of course is, can this happen, will this happen, and should this happen? It would be a big step for Infantino's first act as president to remove a country who has already spent millions of dollars building stadiums and preparing for their assumed World Cup in the next six (five?) years. However, Infantino knows that there is a lot to do and fix in FIFA and he must understand that he has to pick his battle wisely, and more importantly in an order that will accomplish the most, as fast as possible. Is the issues with Qatar hosting the World Cup a bigger problem than all the corruption going on in the world. Is the vacant positions more important than the pending club union separation. These are questions and issues he has to deal with, but Qatar is a problem that does need to be deal with sooner rather than later. He either needs to keep Qatar and allow the rumors to die off, which means deciding on a winter or summer tournament. Or he needs to allow Qatar to stop spending millions of dollars, if it is decided that the World Cup will be hosted at a different venue. If you want to read about stripping Qatar of their nomination of the World Cup, read this article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33044898. What would be your first course of action as the new FIFA president? Where would the World Cup be hosted if it is stripped off of Qatar? Comment your beliefs below.

The Retirement Leagues

Qatar Super League is not the only league that older, retiring stars go to nowadays. There is also the MLS, the American soccer league, as well as the new up-and-coming Chinese League. All of these leagues are known for one things, bringing in stars at the end of their careers, give them wealth and glory, for the purpose of improving their team and the marketing of the league. While the MLS is slightly different, with the league trying to become an competitor for world football, the Chinese League and Qatar Super League have the similarity that they have a lot of money to spend and are seeking star names to add to their teams. The teams spend upwards of 50 million euros on players which other European teams balked at and refused to pay. An example of the money to spend is Ramires being bought for 25 million euros, an amazing fee as Chelsea have made a profit on a player, five years after buying him and nearing the end stretch of his career. A good example of who has to choose between the Qatar Super League, Chinese League, or the MLS is John Terry of Chelsea. After playing for the team since 17 years old, being captain since 23, has been told he will not receive a new contract and thus must seek a club for the end of the career. He decided to narrow it between the MLS and Qatar Super League. This decision to him is between wealth or fame, with Qatar being able to pay him a final salary significantly larger then a contract he has ever had, while the MLS gives him the opportunity at a new football market and gaining new fans and fame who love sport. It is a tough decision, money versus fame, but many players are going through the same issue when deciding on their final playing league. For more information, read this article: http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/chelsea-captain-terry-entertaining-mls-or-qatar-move-over-china-4118310. What do you think of the MLS, Chinese League, and the Qatar Super League competition for player? Which league would you choose?

Qatar Investment Authority’s Impact on the Sporting World

The Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar’s state-owned investment fund and has been rapidly increasing their stake in the sporting world over the past few years.  The QIA and its subsidiary, Qatar Sports Investments, have been behind key acquisitions in the sporting world, including the Paris Saint-Germain football club, various football television rights, and the rights to sponsor Barcelona FC.  The QIA and QSI have also developed a strategy of influence throughout sports by acquiring professional sports clubs, organizing recurring sports events, and organizing solitary sporting events such as the 2006 Asian Games and the 2022 World Cup. In 2011, QSI bought a 70 percent stake in PSG and has gone on to invest heavily in making the French club one of world football's leading powers.  Since the takeovers, the club has gone on a spending spree, buying up the best players available as their owners seek to buy success.  More recently, Qatar Sports Investments has been holding talks to buy a stake in David Beckham’s proposed new Major League Soccer franchise.

There is no question that Qatar is investing heavily in the sporting sector, but why? Some believe the QIA and QSI are using these investments as a domestic policy tool to develop a healthy society and to attract expats from abroad.  Others believe the investment fund is using sport as a foreign policy tool to build relations with various people and countries to gain power and national security. For more information read this interesting article: https://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/pspa/politics-sports/Documents/Reiche-2014-Qatar-Sport%20Policy.pdf. Is it a domestic or foreign policy tool, or simply good business? Why do you think banks and investment firms, especially the Qatar Invest Authority, invest so heavily in sports? Leave comments below.

Qatar Stars League

Qatar, the tiny nation that made a splash in the public eye after winning the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has turned the soccer nation’s attention on their small country. Media attention has been surrounding Qatar ever since the announcement, but with all this attention surrounding Qatar and football, one would think the nation’s football league would be a main topic as well.  However, the Qatar football league, lacks any sort of footballing pedigree.

The Qatar Stars League, the nation’s highest professional league, has fourteen teams and has been in operation since 1973. The league has not developed any significant domestic talent, however, the tiny nation has had mild success at attracting football talent.  Star players like Romario, Gabriel Batistuta, Abedi Pele, and Xavi Hernandez played a part in the history of Qatari league and were able to gain media coverage for the QSL.  Despite these players, however, most of the football world is uninterested in the QSL.  Similar to Major League Soccer in the United States, the QSL is known as a “retirement league.”  The football matches are so unpopular that Qatari teams have even been accused of hiring migrant workers to fill their empty stadiums, paying them to "sit in the stadiums and pretend to have fun." Although the QSL is overlooked in the football world, the 2022 World Cup could provide some opportunities for Qatari teams. For more information read this article: http://www.qfa.com.qa/. 

Do you think QSL teams will ever gain international popularity? Why or why not?  And despite troubles of the QSL, how do you think the World Cup will affect the Qatar Stars League success in the future?

The Beauty of Stadiums

Qatar says that their stadiums will be climate controlled and zero carbon emitting. Stadiums will reduce solar radiation and warm winds. The technology used will provide adequate climatic conditions. Stadiums are still in the process of being built, but many people are questioning if these dangerously hot temperatures can be cooled down by this technology. According to chief Fifa medical doctor, “They will need to travel from venue to venue and I think it's not a good idea for them to do that in temperatures of 47C or more”. For more information read here: http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/extraordinary-find-under-world-cup-stadium/news-story/18de36c1035b816f3deda84016bf3e03. The chief medical doctor is not as worried about the cooling of the stadiums because of the technology, but rather the fans traveling after the games in the dangerous heat. Do you think that the bigger issue could be the fans? Comment below with your thoughts.

Let's go to Qatar!

Should Qatar host the World Cup? On the surface the answer seems like a simple yes but there is much more that should go into consideration when deciding your view point. Yes many have died from building the stadiums and yes the working conditions are horrendous but these problems were there far before it was announced that Qatar would be hosting. Now that the spotlight is on Qatar it has forced Qatar to address these issues. Qatar is now creating laws that force contractors to ensure better working conditions and treatment of the workers. The point being that with the news coverage and outrage of current state of civil rights Qatar has been forced to address these issues. Without these spotlight Qatar would have taken decades to address these issues instead of expediting the process. For more information read this article: https://newrepublic.com/article/118566/why-qatar-should-host-2022-world-cup. Do you think this rationale is a strong enough argument to support Qatar hosting the World Cup? Comment below with your ideas.

End of the Christmas Chaos

The Christmas period in England is not only the most watched time for the EPL, it is also the make or break period for most teams. Teams actually will plan their season around how they will play during this period. Between December 24 and January 6, teams can play up to five times. This is the iconic English style of football, with nearly every other league in the world taking a winter break, allowing players to rest and recover. England instead will put players into overdrive, teams skipping practices to recover from the previous game instead. However, the Qatar World Cup of 2022 (2021?) wishes to change all that, with switching it from the classic summer World Cup to a winter tournament. Qatar's desire for this is to improve playing standards in their country and enhance their World Cup tournament. For Qatar, this is a chance to advertise their country, get tourists and industries to enter the country. However, its desire to change the timing of the World Cup would destroy the most enjoyed time of the EPL. For fans, their Boxing Day and New Years Day are planning around going to their football team's match. With school holidays and vacation work days, it is the perfect time for games to happen. Now, the World Cup Final final match would actually end around mid-December, the issue is players are required by FIFA to have minimum of two weeks holiday after any tournaments. This would eliminate the Christmas chaos. For EPL and the English FA, it is a headache for rescheduling matches during the most watched Christmas period, but the bigger issue is the media and sponsors, who during this 2 week period, receive a large share of the entire seasons profits. This money then is trickled down to the league and the club. With the move, that is a lot of money being left behind. While most clubs and leagues in Europe would have a problem readjusting, none so as much as England. For more information about the EPL Christmas period, take a look at this article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/what-qatar-winter-world-cup-6514982. Do you think England's Christmas period games should be a reason to stop Qatar's World Cup winter move? Does the EPL have enough power to stop the move? Comment your thoughts below.