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:
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?
No matter how much money the owners may have to entice the best possible competition to come play in the QSL, it will be tough to keep the players happy there as it seems like there is just no fan presence for these teams. This is not surprising as Qatar is the size of Connecticut and has a population smaller than the state of Kansas. Could you imagine trying to create enough fan interest in 14 separate teams with an entire country as small as Qatar. Seems like the QSL is biting off a little bit more than they can chew at the moment.
ResponderEliminarIf they have been around since 1973 and have not made a big impact it is unlikely it will start anytime soon. Hosting the world cup could be a once in a lifetime chance for their teams to gain any amount of respect or popularity depending on how they do in it. On the Qatar Starts league having success after the world cup, I do not believe that will happen. After the hype and world cup is over Qatar Stars league will go back to its mediocre soccer level and just be a memory for where the World cup was held in my opinion. -Connor Butler
ResponderEliminarI don’t think that there is anything that the QSL can do to become an internatioanlly respected league or gain popularity. First off, the market is just too small and the league gets zero media attention. Additionally, how can the QSL become popular internationally when it is not even popular in its own country. The fact that teams pay people to go to their games so some of the seats are filled is the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. There is zero change of this league ever thriving.
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