The opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup yesterday was held at the Al Bayt stadium, Qatar and was enlivened by many famous musicians such as J. Balvin, Nora Fatehi, Black Eyed Peas, Jungkook BTS, Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares.
This World Cup is quite interesting because it was held in winter. Usually, the football event which takes place once every four years is held in the summer or spring.
However, there are several things to note for Qatar as the host because it is the first time the World Cup has been held in a Middle Eastern country. However, this milestone has also contributed to making this quadrennial tournament full of controversy, ranging from LGBT issues to paid spectators
1. LGBT issues to the threat of sanctions from FIFA
LGBT and sex outside of marriage is considered a crime under Qatari law which carries a criminal penalty. This has become a serious concern for a number of world football fans, especially in Europe, who have spoken out loud about the rights of LGBT groups. Some of them claimed to have canceled watching live in Qatar because they felt unsafe.
The national teams (timnas) from European countries competing in the 2022 World Cup had planned to wear an armband with the "OneLove" logo to support LGBTQ rights during the tournament, but they abandoned this intention after receiving a warning from the International Football Federation (FIFA) that they can be punished.
In Wednesday's match (24/11/2022), the German national team made a silent pose during the photo session before the match against Japan. The silent action was a form of protest against FIFA's threats which were considered to silence their voices. Denmark is also a country that has threatened to leave FIFA.
Like England and Wales, which planned to wear the 'One Love' captain's armband before finally refusing because of potential punishment from FIFA.
Danish FA head [DBU] Jesper Moller said Denmark was considering leaving FIFA and was ready to talk to UEFA's 55 member countries, including England.
They are all willing to discuss the possibility of withdrawing from the world football body.
The DBU delegation expressed their "outrage" at the way FIFA has sanctioned the sport of seven captains who planned to wear the 'One Love' armband.
Denmark firmly, will no longer support high-ranking FIFA Gianni Infantino in his bid to seek re-election as president in the next term.
