Qatar Sports Minister Says He "Probably" Won't Imprison Gay Soccer Fans

It's disgusting, but I think Qatar will host the Cup. FIFA seems intent on it, so much so that they appear delusional. No amount of bad press, whether it be North Korean slave labor building World Cup infrastructure, these veiled threats against homosexuals, playing the tournament during the winter and disrupting big-money European leagues' schedules or starting games at 1 a.m. Qatar time. There will be no end to the bad press.

The thing is, FIFA knows they've got an inelastic product in the World Cup. There will be no alternate tournament and, unless sponsors grow a pair and stop pumping money into the tournament, they can get away with it. Billions will watch around the world, regardless of host country. It's the same level of arrogance the NFL displayed during the replacement referee fiasco last season. But, we as fans let them get away with it.

By the way, ATW, has there been any bigger beneficiary from Qatar's scandals than Russia? Typically, invading a sovereign neighbor and stirring unrest in eastern Europe would get the focus on the 2018 World Cup. But, nobody is talking about Putin and his World Cup because Qatar is that bad. If anybody doubted FIFA's motives in awarding 2018 and 2022, look no further than the hosts they chose and the, um, culture of corruption in both societies. It's a tradition they share with FIFA.

 

can't do nuthing, FIFA officials have already been pumped full of Arab moneyyy

 

When your sports minister has the power to inprision you... its time to move.

 

Wow. We're talking about a country where one person decided on behalf of all citizens that this event is a cost worth baring. Billions of dollars. Totally unnecessary stadiums. Guaranteed not to return anywhere near a profit. Whether gay people can go to an autocratic country to watch people kicking a ball around while attendees publicly display affection is a question which has little importance if we're actually oh so concerned about human rights.

No one will be targeting homosexuals and alcohol will be flowing from fountains come 2022. I guess that's what would make their government such an understanding and conscientious bunch huh.

smh

 

Where I worked (which I thankfully don't work for anymore), and gay fans visiting the world cup in QATAR are still not as important...

as the overall situation in these two places. Which you don't give a **** about. And you are trying to distract from.

What you want is to visit your family in Dubai and drink booze in Qatar. You don't give a damn about the actual well being of citizens of these countries. Who so happen to be mostly Muslims. You care about your fun, that's all. You won't even discuss it like a grown up human being. You'll just take pot shots.

These are all terrible, all the discrimination. I don't think it's terrible that people can't drink freely, I just think it's terrible that citizens do no hold the same right to drink as non-citizens. Which is what you KNOW from visiting Dubai so much. Which is what the article fails to mention. They check your id so that they can allow everyone else to drink. A Qatari person can not legally buy alcohol, ever, and it won't be the case at the world cup either. The flogging, the discrimination about genders - all of that, I disagree with, but I can't do anything about. You know why? Of course you know why. It's the same reason I can't say it.

What's on display here is your disgusting choice of how to allocate your interest in human rights issues in Qatar. And I'm glad you've put it on display here. Thank you.

 

They will serve alcohol. These ME countries really don't know how to unwind and have fun, do they?

 

ATW I think you should go to Qatar with your boyfriend and have some ..