Qatar World Cup

Just reading an article on the RTE website about the world cup in Qatar.

Most people I know are not planning to watch the world cup including myself because of the LGBTQ+ and human rights abuses. To say for MOST involved in football the concept of a gay person playing being alien is utterly nuts - in Ireland at least. Sure there are homophobes but this is just not the reality.

IMO these kind of adversarial sweeping generalisation statements just put up barriers that didn't exist in the first place, and make it harder for gay people to come out.

Maybe the quote was taken out of context for clickbaity purposes by RTE - would be par for the course. Perhaps he was referring to the FAI but this isn't clear from the article.

AllForIt

This tread of providing screen shots instead of a link, I blame Twitter.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/world-cup-2022/2022/1027/1331725-qatar-2022-is-no-world-cup-for-gay-people/

gypsy79

This one is MUCH worse as it is built on complete lies

https://www.rte.ie/sport/world-cup-2022/2022/1019/1330080-300-billion-bill-possible-for-qatar-as-world-cup-looms/

TheValeyard

It's disgusting that the World Cup is to be held there. Fifa is so corrupt.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119814514#Comment_119814514

My sentiments exactly. Vile organisation. The World Cup is supposed to bring people together. Instead, it's a tawdry, money-siphoning operation.

joseywhales

The LGBTQ+ issues in Qatar are bad enough but like what about the fact that that society is fine with indentured servitude of foreign workers and only allowing them second class rights. What about all the maids and nannies that get raped or the construction workers who die on site or in their disease infested worker camps. Money doesn't wash away the ignorance.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119814967#Comment_119814967

World Cups are still about bringing people together, but they also about corruption and always have been.

But the problem with Qatar is that it has been so blatant.

FIFA usually want hosts to at least meet these requirements.

A big population so that there will be mass local interest, and disperesed venues so that all of a host nation will have some part of it, plus it helps with logistics etc.

Qatar straight away offer none of that, even before you look at the politics, rights etc

The fact that it was so blatant and that Qatar is such a c**t of a country should be an issue for FIFA.

But it's not, it's sponsors are still there, it's profile is still high etc.

If normal people are really annoyed by this then it's easy to fix it.

Don't watch the games, don't follow it on social media, don't buy from the sponsors.

And don't stop at the world cup, keep ignoring international soccer for as long as it takes.

But that would happen of course, because at the end of the day people will tut tut about LGBTQ rights in Qatar, or migrant workers rights, but will still have a reminder in their phone to watch England v USA at 7pm while drinking a bottle of Bud nice and cold from their Hisense fridge on their Sony TV.

Sweet Talkin Romeo

hopefully we'll see a pitch invasion from Rapinoe in protest of their illiberal antics 😅

nullzero

FIFA have always been corrupt and have always made decisions that benefit themselves and their cronies it just so happens that this time the corruption is jumping up and biting people on the nose.

We're all appalled by the attitude towards LGBTQ people in Qatar but they're not alone in holding such views in that part of the world and it would be wonderful if that was the worst thing about the Qatar world Cup because it's such a cavern of seemingly unending dispair and misery when you stand back and look at all the issues surrounding it.

That and it disrups the football season horrifically as well, on those grounds alone the bid from Qatar should never have been entertained to begin with but here we are looking down the barrel of the most disgusting major sporting event in history.

Potential-Monke

Not a fan of soccer in general, but I won't be watching any of this out of principle. Unfortunately, millions more don't care and are looking forward to their hollibops in Qatar, delighted with the fakeness of the place cuz they can get their amazeballs selfies.

I also apply this to anyone/thing who deals with UAE (to the best of my ability and knowledge, they're probably running a lot more things behind the scenes). The golfers who fecked off over there, anyone who has business dealings with them, I try to avoid. Doesn't mean much to them, but if enough people did it. However, we're asking humanity to care about each other, and it's blatantly obvious most people only care about themselves. So I expect nothing to come of all this.

The worst offenders are the women who take their hollibops over there for selfie purposes, or for "further training". Talk about crapping all over your own gender...

Atlantic Dawn

I think the only good thing to come out of it is the crooked way it was awarded led to untouchables in FIFA being removed and out of the organisation for good.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119817693#Comment_119817693

I don't think it makes a difference. Soccer has become such a base enterprise now. I've no idea how people can stand to watch it after the European Super League fiasco but as long as they do, the club owners will continue to rake it in.

Many of the same companies supporting Pride and saying how they are LGBTQ+ allies will be front and centre sponsoring this. It's sickening. Another poster made the point about indentured servitude. 100% agree.

Really shows how rotten and hypocritical our whole society is.

Potential-Monke

Actually, that's probably a good thing. We can now see exactly which companies are all about looking good vs actually caring. Not that I expect it will make any difference whatsoever.

JupiterKid

I had always planned to boycott watching the World Cup in Quatar as it is a completely blatant display of wanton greed and corruption from FIFA.

I am pretty heartened that many others intend to boycott it too, but as Potential Monke pointed out the vapid, shallow self-serving types will flock there.

slay55

Not a chance I’ll be missing this over any political unhappiness.

Potential-Monke

See

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119817865#Comment_119817865

Anyone who was even taken in by corporate virtue signalling should have their head wobbled anyway

elefant

On the OP's post: I don't think it's utterly nuts at all to suggest that gay people playing competitive team sports is alien to most Irish people. I've played competitive team sports all my life, and and I don't think I've ever been on a team with an openly gay teammate.

irelandrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818017#Comment_119818017

i played GAA and soccer for years, and same as you I dont think i had an openly gay teammate. However i met a guy i played with a few years after he stopped and he was gay, he had just never mentioned it while playing with us. I also assume some of the people i play with and against are gay. Theres just too many people involved for it not to be the case. The fact that they don't feel they can come out is the huge issue.

Cal4567

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119817774#Comment_119817774

I have principles but if you don't like them I have others you can choose from.

Yes, butchering a famous Groucho quote to show the hypocrisy of certain companies and corporations. When there's money to be made?

MarkY91

I'm as disgusted as anyone else about Qatar being allowed to host this world cup but I will absolutely be watching it and so will everyone else I know. I find it hard to believe that someone can honestly say that most people they know will not be watching it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818017#Comment_119818017

I can't ever remember being in a dressing room where people announced their sexuality. I just assumed some of my teammates could well be gay. Having said that, back in the 1980s and 90s this was indeed an alien concept; however the last 20 years it surely isn't anymore? I'm in my 50s and openly gay people are part of our friend group and working life - no one cares as far as I can see. The homophobes would be a small minority.

I can't imagine younger people are more homophobic than my generation, at least not what I see from my kids.

Of course this doesn't mean that people don't feel they wouldn't be accepted if they came out - but I'd venture to guess they would be by most people. Maybe I'm just naive.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818110#Comment_119818110

You're probably right - even those with strong positions now might be swayed by the prospect of say Brazil v France or something ....

elefant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818608#Comment_119818608

I would assume so too - but I know (and have known) the vast majority of my teammates over the years very well, and none of them have ever been openly out.

I'm sure nobody would be discriminatory if someone did come out, and I expect most would be actively supportive, but I also think it would be a totally new experience for 99% of the group to be in a team sport environment with an openly gay teammate. I think it would take a lot of bravery for someone in that culture to be the first to come out, and I'm not sure admitting to that makes the situation any worse than it already is.

rogber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119815135#Comment_119815135

Much easier for footballers to talk about supporting LGBT rights than address the rights of the slave labour used to build the infrastructure used to host the tournament. Cos then they might actually have to do something meaningful like boycott the tournament rather than just wearing a rainbow armband or whatever.

LGBT is trendy cos you can support it without sacrificing your own comfort in any way. Address the human rights issues and it'll be like Howe at Newcastle every time "I'm just here to concentrate on the football"

Atlantic Dawn

RTE won't play Fairytale Of New York without censoring it despite the fact the lyrics had a different meaning 35 years ago yet they are fine paying millions to show football from a country where being a gay is illegal, makes sense.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818853#Comment_119818853

It is really ridiculous.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818792#Comment_119818792

I would agree with this, and ultimately someone has to be the first. Rugby is decades ahead of football in this sense. It's like my gay first cousin said to me recently, these days people throw confetti and ribbons at gay pride marches. Back in 1980s London (where he grew up) it was bricks and broken bottles. OFC in Ireland there weren't any at all.

Furze99

There's going to be an increasing focus on Iranian participation in coming weeks. Apart from the unrest concerning women's rights, they are supplying weaponry and munitions to Russia for their invasion of Ukraine.

Iran is in the same group as the USA, England and Wales......... going to be a shitstorm

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818840#Comment_119818840

People need to see football as a business and nothing else. It's not about sport, unity, or fair play. It's all about that bottom line.