In geopolitical terms, Qatar being awarded the 2022 bid is of great significance to the Middle East as a region.
The Qatar 2022 Bid Committee are not, as some detractors would insist, a bunch of short-sighted, uneducated fools. They are highly educated, motivated people, who identified an opportunity and pursued the end-goal with fervor, drawing on their own aptitude and knowledge. They also surrounded themselves with like minded professionals to achieve a successful end goal. This is without doubt, as any CEO will advise you, the most assured route to progress and success. If, as some would suggest, there was an impropriety, it will surely be exposed, primarily because FIFA has had 106 years to promulgate itself into a professional body and because of its stature in representing the most popular sport on earth.
2022 is still 12 yrs away, in an organization the size of FIFA, trying to suppress any untoward activity, this will be at best, most uncomfortable for that long and in all probability not worth any so-called ‘financial reward’, and at worst, impossible.
If you had actually seen the Qatar 2022 Bid Document (available on-line, as are all bid countries documents), you really should not be surprised at all.
If Israel qualifies, I am certain they will be allowed to compete as sportsmen and if they won, would be respected as victors. Again, do you honestly believe that the Qatar 2022 bid committee didn’t take this into consideration already?
Just caught England Bid Committee 2018 CEO Andy Anson on Sky News, calling for ‘open and transparent voting’ following their loss to Russia for the 2018 bid. This I believe will reverberate unfavourably within FIFA and ultimately paint Mr. Anson in a most unflattering light.
Even if, as he intimates, there was some level of discord which culminated in their total of 2 votes, his ‘open and transparent’ statement is nothing short of an unforgivable gaff. Mr. Anson is in short, stating that Bid Committee’s as a whole, or at minimum, the executive management of that committee should be able to have access to see who voted for who and why.
I wonder if Mr. Anson realizes he just ventured quite cavalierly into the arms of collectivism, pluralism and totalitarianism…in short fascism. What he suggested is the etymology of Solarian Syndicalists (the precursor to fascism), that being the belief that all liberal democracy should be destroyed.
The very definition of voting is based on personal choice, imbued from access to knowledge and being educated on certain issues…..to have to face what would be tantamount to an inquiry because of your vote, would result in Soccer (Football) itself suffering and ultimately remove the high level of service that results from competition and voting……..i.e………an anti-Marxism form of socialism…..that being fascism. For a man of Mr. Ansons standing…..a rather huge gaff.