Empty seats filled by hindsight, rules made and changed on a whim, false statements regurgitated repeatedly, fingers pointed elsewhere. Welcome to the Post-Truth World Cup, where anything goes and there’s nothing to see here.
I have been at the World Cup for two weeks now, and while the Metro has run perfectly, the facilities are sublime and the stadia, built on modern slavery, are a wonder to behold, the tournament itself has felt as though Fifa has made it up as they go along.
Where to start? Perhaps the stadiums and attendances. I was at the Lusail Stadium for one of the World Cup’s great upsets, when Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina. Five minutes before kick-off the seats were around a third empty. Around 20 minutes into the match, they had filled up — closer to 90 per cent. It appears to have been a familiar occurrence across the eight stadiums. Who pays all that money for flights, accommodation, tickets, expenses — and Doha is not cheap to visit — and decides to sack off the first 20 minutes of a game?
The official attendance for Argentina vs Saudi Arabia flashed up on the four big screens: 88,012. My light research about the stadium before the game had revealed that it was an 80,000-capacity venue. Again, this was happening everywhere: 67,372 at the 60,000 capacity Al Bayt stadium for the tournament opener between Qatar and Ecuador, 45,334 in for England vs Iran, at the 40,000 Khalifa International Stadium.
An explanation was put out by Fifa about capacities for World Cup games differing to stadium capacity. Weird, still, that a news story on the official Qatar 2022 website, dated August 1, 2022 and headlined “Qatar’s Fifa World Cup final venue to stage Lusail Super Cup on 9 September”, reads: “Qatar’s biggest stadium and the stage for this year’s Fifa World Cup final will host a special event on Friday 9 September. The 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium will stage the Lusail Super Cup between Saudi Pro League champions and Egyptian Premier League winners…”
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To confirm the madness, Fifa’s official press release last Friday claimed that “Fifa World Cup
attendance figures stand at 94 per cent after the first round of the group stage”. Sure it does.
Where next? The rules, which are about as clear and pliable as mud.
Take the bizarre behaviour in a meeting on the morning of England’s opening game against Iran, when the English FA sought clarity on what sanction captain Harry Kane would face for wearing the pro-LGBT+ OneLove armband, only for Fifa to refuse to clarify beyond insisting that a yellow card would be the minimum punishment. A red card? The game called off? England kicked out of the World Cup? Who was to know?
To make things clearer, two days later, Germany’s players staged a mini-protest of their own, holding hands over mouths in a pre-match team photo and wearing boots and training tops with rainbow colours. Later that day, it emerged Fifa would not take any disciplinary action. The explanation? The explanation was that there was no explanation. Helpful.
While we’re on the topic of rainbows, Wales fans had rainbow items confiscated on entry to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium for their opening game against USA, prompting Fifa to have a word with the Supreme Committee and remind the World Cup organisers that the company line was that everyone was welcome. There were more reassurances that everyone was welcome.
Two days later, more cases emerged of rainbow items being refused entry. Then it happened again. And again. Everyone is welcome, remember. Keep saying it enough times and eventually the World Cup will be over.
Then there was the beer. Fans had already paid thousands to attend a World Cup before, two days before a tournament 12 years in the making began the Qatari government decided Budweiser, one of Fifa’s main sponsors, who pay £62m for each four-year World Cup, would have to pack away the beer tents they had set up at each of the eight stadiums. Suffice to say the “Well, this is awkward” tweet from the Budweiser account, which was later deleted, is the least of Fifa’s worries: the American beer brand is seeking £40m back.
Beneath the rows and confusion about armbands, rainbows and beer, the small matter of the climate catastrophe facing the planet and Fifa’s claim that this will be a carbon-neutral tournament has gone a little under the radar.
A small, green “save the planet” banner has been held aloft by six volunteers on the pitch while teams sing the national anthems. Green adverts can also be seen on the pitch-side hoardings.
Environmental charities have, however, been bemused by Fifa’s claims that this tournament is carbon neutral. Carbon Market Watch, an environmental non-profit, accused Fifa of “creative accounting” when it came to their green credentials. In a report, Carbon Market Watch pointed out that you tend to calculate a carbon footprint after an event has taken place.
You might have thought the environment would be a burning issue for Qatar, a country climate scientists in 2015 predicted would experience heatwaves from 2070 onwards that would be too hot for human survival. And no amount of soundbites or slogans will save them.
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