Focus has finally shifted to Qatar

Doha – The week-long countdown to the World Cup in Qatar began yesterday as the world’s leading footballers focused their attention on one of the most controversial tournaments in history.

The first World Cup to be held in the Arab world will kick off on Sunday when the host nation face Ecuador.

It marks the culmination of Qatar’s extraordinary campaign to first win the vote to land the tournament and then embark on a spending spree of tens of billions of dollars to build stadiums and infrastructure.

Holding football’s showpiece event in a desert state has necessitated an unprecedented re-organisation of the international football calendar, shifting the World Cup from its normal slot in the northern hemisphere summer to avoid the Gulf’s scorching heat.

Domestic leagues will pause for six weeks to allow the tournament to take place, but preparation time is short.

Three of the tournament’s biggest names – Lionel Messi (above), Neymar and Kylian Mbappe – emerged unscathed from Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 victory against Auxerre in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Mbappe, who will spearhead France’s defence of their title in Qatar, signed off in style by scoring PSG’s opening goal.

England captain Harry Kane also scored to help Tottenham beat Leeds United on Saturday.

While the players packed their bags and joined up with their international team-mates, the spotlight on Qatar intensified.

Fifa’s pleas to “focus on the football” have struggled to be heard as the countdown to kickoff has only increased scrutiny of the Gulf state’s treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community.

Labourers from South Asia have been at the centre of an often acrimonious dispute over deaths, injuries and their working conditions since Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010.

Amnesty International on Friday made an urgent plea for Fifa president Gianni Infantino to commit to a compensation package for the workers who built the tournament’s gleaming stadiums.

Qatar has angrily rebuffed most of the attacks and local media have blasted the “arrogance” of some Western countries.

The country, one of the world’s biggest producers of natural gas, has spent lavishly, building stadiums costing more than $6.5 billion. –