Updated 11th Oct. 2022.
The World Cup is almost here! The qualifiers were a mixed pot but now we know who will be at the finals. The inaugural matches kick off on Monday Nov. 21st, 2022, with the final set to be played on December 18th. There will be 32 teams fighting it out at the finals in Qatar.
Thus far it’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions watching the qualifying matches last year and early this year. There have been incredible upsets, shocking red cards, and plenty of last-minute goals.
Let’s take a look at good, bad and ugly things that have happened along the way…
The Good: Young Players Shining.
There have been a lot of positives to come out of World Cup qualifying, but one of the best things is the impact of a few young players. We have seen many top-class players shine in this tournament, but the likes of Nuno Mendes (Portugal), Eduardo Camavinga (France), Florian Wirtz (Germany), Pedri (Spain), and Jude Bellingham (England) among others, are young and have already been able to make an impact.
The Bad: Claims of Racism & An Illegible Player.
Chilean Football Federation filed a complaint about serious irregularities involving the Ecuador squad during the qualifiers. FIFA have since ruled the player in question, Byron Castillo, can play as they were satisfied that his birth and rights to play for Ecuador have now been proven.
The statement FIFA’s website read:
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has rendered its decision in relation to the potential ineligibility of the player Byron David Castillo Segura with regard to his participation in eight qualifying matches of the national team of the Ecuadorian Football Association (FEF) in the preliminary competition of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
“After analyzing the submissions of all parties concerned and considering all elements brought before it, the FIFA Disciplinary Committeehas decided to close the proceedings initiated against the FEF.”
More Bad – Positive Drugs Tests Gets 4 Year Bans.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a four-year period of ineligibility on the following two players for anti-doping rule violations at qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™:
-
Salvadorian player Erick Alejandro Rivera, who tested positive for clostebol following a match played on 8 September 2021
-
Djiboutian player Sabri Ali Mohamed, who tested positive for exogenously administered testosterone following a match played on 12 November 2021
The Ugly: Human Rights Issues.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup set to take place in Qatar, human rights abuses have come into the spotlight. The country has been accused of violating the rights of migrant workers, as well as suppressing freedom of expression and assembly.
Qatar has denied these allegations, but Amnesty International has documented cases of migrant workers being forced to work in conditions that amount to modern slavery. There have also been reports of workers being denied food and water, and being treated like animals.
The conditions for migrant workers are so bad that some have even died while working on World Cup-related projects. In response to these allegations, Qatar has promised to improve conditions for workers and has put in place new labor laws. However, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to stop the abuse of workers’ rights in Qatar.
Conclusion.
The World Cup is a time of great excitement for football fans around the world. However, it has not been without its controversies. In this article, we have looked at three examples of controversy in the qualifiers – from racism claims to positive drugs tests.
We have also discussed the human rights abuses taking place in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Despite these controversies, however, there are still many reasons to be excited for the upcoming tournament.
Young players are shining and new labor laws may help improve conditions for migrant workers. We hope that through awareness and discussion, these issues can be addressed and resolved before the start of the World Cup.
Sources: FIFA, THX News & Wikipedia.
