Two Boys, One Cup
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, asked about the prospects for gay fans traveling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup — a country where homosexuality is illegal — suggested that they should "refrain from sexual activities." This is the kind of statement that manages to be offensive, stupid, and hilarious all at once, which is quite the hat trick.
Let's unpack this. Qatar criminalized homosexuality. FIFA awarded Qatar the World Cup anyway. And when asked how gay fans should navigate this situation, the head of world football essentially said "just don't be gay for a few weeks." Problem solved. Thanks, Sepp.
The deeper issue here isn't one old man's tone-deaf comments. It's the fundamental question of whether international sporting events should be awarded to countries with appalling human rights records. The argument in favor is that engagement promotes change — that bringing the world's eyes to Qatar will pressure the country to reform. The argument against is that it simply legitimizes the status quo and puts vulnerable people at risk.
I come down firmly on the side of "don't give massive sporting events to countries that criminalize the existence of a significant portion of the world's population." Call me radical.
The World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of human achievement and international cooperation. Hosting it in a country where some humans are considered criminals by virtue of who they love makes a mockery of those ideals. No amount of shiny new stadiums changes that.
But FIFA has never been particularly interested in ideals. FIFA is interested in money, and Qatar has a great deal of money. So here we are, with Sepp Blatter telling gay people to keep it in their pants for the good of football. The beautiful game, indeed.