The world is shocked – Qatar and Russia are approved to host the World Cup

memorable

December 3, 2010: The day after Russia and Qatar won the World Cup, there was huge outrage. The media is going all out against Sepp Blatter and his FIFA. This criticism was particularly severe in England.

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On the morning of Friday 3 December 2010, there was only one topic in England: FIFA and Sepp Blatter. Rarely has hatred been so intensely directed against Swiss citizens in the British Isles as on that day in December. No newspapers, no bar talk for the FIFA boss and his organization to get away with anything.

Flashback: Zurich, Thursday evening, December 2, 2010, just after 5pm: The British delegation, led by Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham, couldn't believe their eyes. In front of them, Sepp Blatter embraced the Russian World Cup ambassadors Andrei Arshavin and Igor Shuvalov and handed them the World Cup trophy.

Russia has just won the right to host the 2018 World Cup. This is despite the fact that England, the home country of football, has actually been given a better chance. Russian President Vladimir Putin didn't even bother to travel to Zurich. Cameron and company felt like they were in the wrong movie. The UK received only two votes out of a possible 22. The Portuguese, Spanish, Belgians and Dutch are likely to be equally disappointed – they also hope to bring the World Cup to their countries.

That's how FIFA's executive committee voted.Image: wikipedia.org

Before long, the Qatari workforce also began to come into focus. The 2022 World Cup will be held in the desert. Australia, Japan and South Korea returned empty-handed.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sepp Blatter are happy: the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar.Image: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

England 'unhappy'

Predictably, this unusual decision will draw criticism. But the intensity of the race for the World Cup prize may surprise even the calmly calculating members of FIFA's executive committee. The earthquake's epicenter was in London, and the media coverage was deafening and could be felt as far away as Haute Valais.

The British media reported on FIFA's decision from all angles.Image source: bbc.com

The headline of the print edition of The Sun read: “They stink, it's over – FIFA screwed up the World Cup in Russia.” The Sun's online portal was printed with the word “FIXED” in five large letters.

The Daily Mail's comment was also exciting: “They smiled, shook hands and promised to vote for England… They lied.”

The Daily Mirror knows exactly how the whole thing happened: oil-rich countries Russia and Qatar bought the World Cup. While the Daily Express called it a “disgrace”, winning the World Cup was a “disgrace” and a “disaster” for the Daily Telegraph. The Daily Star agrees: the matter has been established.

England is not alone

“Blick” also has its worries: “45 degrees, no beer. World Cup in Qatar: What a sheikh!”Image: “blick.ch”

The decision of FIFA's executive committee also caused an uproar in Switzerland. “Blick”'s verdict is clear: “FIFA no longer has to prove to us that FIFA doesn't care about fans. What matters is tax exemptions. Money is plentiful. And Blatter's vanity, which is to let the Eastern European bloc and the Middle East control the World Cup Feel happy.”

At the same time, “20 Minutes” is worried about the level of football in the 2022 World Cup, in which Qatar, as the host nation, will have a fixed seat and participate. The commuter newspaper's headline read “Qatar played well – from one meter away”.

Although the desert competition has begun, criticism of the World Cup award has not subsided. Human rights groups have criticized working conditions and poor conditions for women and LGBTQ+ members in Qatar. Despite this, the game went on as usual and Argentina won the world championship title. The next show in the desert is already being planned: FIFA hopes to award the 2030 World Cup hosting rights to Saudi Arabia, under the next Swiss, Gianni Infantino.