STAGE SET FOR QATAR 22
THE world's eyes will be fixated on Qatar on Sunday as the tiny Persian Gulf nation in the Middle East sets the stage for this year's Fifa World Cup.
The first game will see hosts welcoming Ecuador in the opening fixture – one that will reportedly be viewed by 5 billion people across the world, according to Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern nation to host a Fifa World Cup and this is also their first World Cup appearance.
The journey has not been one without controversy for the host nation, with the legacy of Qatar 22 already in doubt without a ball being kicked.
While Qatar has been transformed since Fifa awarded the tournament in 2010 with a new metro, skyscrapers, highways, new universities, museums and a port built alongside seven new stadiums and one rebuilt, it is the alleged violations of human rights that have dominated headlines in the lead up to the event.
Rights groups and media reports say thousands of workers may have died on the huge construction sites. In turn, the government has labelled the claims as “outrageous and offensive”, and says it is considering “legal” action to defend the country's name.
An estimated 6 500 labourers are believed to have died while building the stadiums and infrastructure in Qatar and that might be a conservative estimate. Amnesty International (AI) believes it to be as many as 15 000 people.
The rights of women and the LGBQT+ community are also contentious in the orthodox Muslim nation.
Qatar has tried its best to create excitement but has been accused of doing so through fake fans and sport-washed campaigns.
The organisers have repeatedly said everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome during the tournament.
The Qatar government said its labour system was still a work in progress but denied a lot of the accusations by AI and other rights groups.
Qatar, Fifa and the international unions who pressured the Gulf state want the focus to be on the reforms it has pursued to improve safety, establish a minimum wage and give workers more rights to change jobs and leave the country.
Several world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron of France, have called on supporters to separate the politics of Qatar from the celebration of a World Cup, while others, such as the often outspoken Louis van Gaal – the Netherlands head coach – have insisted that it must be a part of the narrative.
Fifa has already pleaded with teams not to make statements of, but with Sunday in sight, that looks set to be ignored.
Already Australia has issued its demands. England, meanwhile, have also spoken about visiting migrant workers to highlight their struggles and labour practices that resemble modern-day slavery.
Germany has been the most vocal about the perceived human rights violations while Denmark believes that their protest has already had an impact on Qataris.
Adding to the host's woes are the fierce weather temperatures, and the fact that this World Cup will be the first in memory to fall outside its usual June/ July window. That has created its own set of problems.
Qatar may enter the World Cup history books but they would rather avoid that entry since the World Cup hosts have never lost the tournament's opening match. Local fans will remember that South Africa held Mexico to a draw in the 2010 World Cup opener at the iconic FNB Stadium.
Both Qatar and Ecuador are in a rich vein of form coming into the World Cup. Qatar has now gone five matches unbeaten against moderate opposition. The local league was suspended months ago to allow the team maximum time to prepare.
The programme, ahead of the start of the 2022 World Cup, was plotted five years ago when technical staff decided on the preparation over the five-year period.
They have only played Ecuador once before in a 2018 friendly. They ran out 4-3 winners after Ecuador was reduced to nine players in the second half.
But none of that will matter on Sunday when the teams set the tone for what soccer lovers have long been waiting for.