Enough of Qatar-bashing, let’s just enjoy watching football

MANY years ago on a Philippine Airlines flight to Northern Samar to help a nongovernment organization evaluate its projects in Catarman and a few other towns in the province, I was seated near three big Australian guys.

These rather unkempt foreigners were wearing shorts, apparently in violation of the dress code of the county’s flag-carrier.

They were also noisy to my annoyance and maybe to the other passengers as well.

But being the “mapasensiya” people that we Filipinos are generally known for, we just kept the peace and we landed safely much to my relief for finally getting rid of unwanted travelers who think that we natives still swing from trees.

This incident that smacked of Western “moral” arrogance and racial entitlement came to my mind during a day of watching one of the matches in the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a host that has been bashed from Day One of the Middle East nation winning in 2010 the bid to host what arguably is the greatest sports extravaganza on earth.

Intolerance of LGBTQ people, mistreatment of migrant workers, bribery of FIFA officials for Qatar to showcase the “beautiful game” of futbol — these are some of the allegations thrown at the kingdom and its people.

And yet, it is not the first time that the football lords based in Lausanne, Switzerland have been accused of corruption.

Certainly, it is not breaking news that contract workers in Muslim countries are supposedly exploited.

Neither it is the first time that the gay plus community has been pilloried, with the last two hosts of the World Cup, macho Brazil in 2014 and equally virile Russia in 2018 being two of the most homophobic nations on the planet.

Besides, Pele country was said to have prohibited local and international media from saying anything about the favelas there eight years ago.

In what amounted to sheer hypocrisy of the West, according to a vlogger (yes, he is Muslim, if you have any quarrel with that), supposedly straight footballers from seven European countries taking part in this year’s edition had initially threatened to wear rainbow armbands on their sleeve to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community, only to drop the plan when FIFA warned them that they will be issued two yellow cards if they as much sport any apparel the shade of fuschia or pink.

Two such cards mean a one-game suspension even before the ball is kicked in an actual game and goodbye Jules Rimet or a little further ahead, Premier League or Bundesliga.

Respect, as the great Aretha Franklin said, and we’re talking about showing it and giving it.

Qataris, anyway, have presumably not forced anyone to come and visit them. World Cup or not (their for-export liquefied natural gas will last 200 more years, according to an online report, and so the locals do not really care about our pesos and your dollars or euros).

For another, their country (population: 313,000 as of 2017) has more than 2.3 million expats, also as of that year, also presumably including Filipino workers and others from poor countries, and you think the Qataris have been tormenting them in any way?

If they are being told to toe the line at every turn, these visitors should have already left in huff, but they have not.

These expats alone, who most likely count Western football fanatics among them, could fill the impressive stadiums built by Doha for the purposes of putting its best foot(ball) forward.

Because they could, the Qatari government need not make “hakot” its subjects to sit and watch the proceedings in order to show that they fully support their ruler (Qatar has the fourthhighest gross domestic product in the world, according to the same online report, and there is really no reason for even the most rabid of Qatari football fans to make “pila” for a pair of shoes in exchange for their attendance).

If the Qataris are promised more than what the government of “poorer” Saudi Arabia is giving members of its football team — a Rolls Royce each — for their upset victory over Argentina, 2-1, in the preliminary phase of the tournament, maybe they will.

Qatar is also being bashed for being at this year’s World Cup only because it is the host.

That has always been the practice, dummy, whether the country in charge has a football or a lacrosse pedigree.

It was not as if Qatar extorted the honor, it is simply the unwritten law, and these critics who say the country does not deserve the role are simply being nasty and envious.

The Qatari monarchy says homosexuality is evil, and so does the Philippine Catholic Church, so what’s the difference and the big deal about it?

It is not for this piece to judge if they are both right or both wrong, except to each his own itch and scratch it as both please.

Incidentally, the White Australian policy has not really gone away, or has it?

Meanwhile, let’s just sit back, relax and, vamos, watch for the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup to start.

Show Qatar and the Qataris some respect.