11/24/22, 7:32 PM The controversial past and present of the World Cup

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The controversial past and present of the World Cup

From money laundering to normalizing authoritarian regimes, there is no shortage of scandal
surrounding World Cup host countries.

[Photo: Getty Images]

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BY S A M A R M A RWA N
3 MINUTE READ

Since the first World Cup in 1930, the competition has been prone to a fair share of controversies, from
alleged financial schemes to questionable countries winning hosting rights. And the 2022 FIFA World
Cup in Qatar is no exception. The small Gulf country faced scrutiny over its LGBTQ intolerance, the lack
of infrastructure to support the influx of tourism, and, most concerning, the inhumane treatment of

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11/24/22, 7:32 PM The controversial past and present of the World Cup

migrant workers. According to Nepal’s Labor Ministry, 2,100 Nepali workers have died in Qatar since the
country won the bid for the World Cup in 2010 and began ramping up construction.
F O LHere
LOW are some past
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and recent scandals that plagued the World Cup over the years. 
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▪ Normalizing fascism. Hosting the World Cup is a means of taking the

spotlight on the international stage, for better or worse. Over the decades,
FIFA has occasionally been criticized for its role in normalizing
totalitarianism, including the 1930 World Cup hosted by Italy during the
fascist leadership of Benito Mussolini. Additionally, in the years leading up
to the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, that country fell under a brutal
crackdown from a fascist regime installed via a military coup. That year’s
competition draws comparisons to the 1936 Olympics hosted by Nazi
Germany. 

▪ Questionable World Cup hosts. There is still a lot of murkiness

surrounding the unusual 2010 FIFA congress in which Russia and Qatar
both won their bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments,
respectively. Despite the 2014 annexation of Crimea, human rights
violations, and homophobic hostilities, Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup.
Similar to Russia, Qatar’s win was shocking not only because of its
religious conservativeness, a record of labor abuses, and summer
temperatures that can reach 113°F, which ended up in the traditionally
summer-held competition being pushed to November. The country also
lacked a strong history with the sport and adequate tourist infrastructure.

▪ FIFA corruption case. In 2015, a years-long investigation by the FBI and

IRS came to a dramatic close when 14 high-ranking members of FIFA and
their associates were formally indicted for a string of crimes, including
wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The laundry list of
crimes of collusion left bystanders to suspect foul play during the bidding
process of Russia and Qatar. Shortly after the arrests, FIFA decided to
postpone the 2026 World Cup bidding process, which eventually went to
the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

▪ Barring countries from playing. FIFA’s governing body has, at times,

taken a stand on the right side of history. During the 1966 World Cup,
apartheid South Africa was banned from participating due to FIFA’s anti-
discrimination charter. Decades later, the 1994 World Cup hosted by the
U.S. barred the former Yugoslavia from playing due to UN sanctions as a
result of war crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

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▪ Displacing locals. Countries have to be well equipped to host the wave of

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spectators, and unfortunately, that often results in the displacement of 

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in favor of construction
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and tourism.
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Africa World Cup, there was an attempt to keep the country’s homeless
population away from stadiums and out of sight during the 2010 games.
During the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the country forcibly
displaced thousands of people to build mega stadiums to host the matches
and the 2016 Olympics. 

While the World Cup has had its fair share of controversial hosts, and FIFA’s behavior is worth scrutiny,
the global competition has also served as the light at the end of a dark tunnel for some nations. Hosting
the World Cup has also served as a galvanizing moment for countries coming out of the darkness of civil
unrest, like the 1982 World Cup hosted by Spain after the fall of a four-decade dictatorship. South Africa
was welcomed back into the competition in 1992, around the fall of apartheid, and the country later went
on to host the 2010 World Cup.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samar (suh·mr) Marwan is a freelance news writer for Fast Company, covering business, environmental, social,
political, health and wellness, trending, and breaking news. Previously, she covered cannabis and technology as the
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