Football is often regarded as the most popular sport in the world, one that transcends culture, language, and time. While the duality of its many professional leagues and amateur leagues is indicative enough of its all-encompassing nature, nothing embodies the spirit more than the FIFA World Cup. Held every 4 years, the World Cup is often hailed as the world's biggest sporting event, rivalling or even eclipsing the Olympic games. The allure isn't perverse, with 32 teams from all over the world, the event fundamentally brings in a sense of national pride and interest from even non-football watchers. Look no further than the slews of crowds that converge in malls across Hong Kong to watch the games, even late at night. Not to mention the unimaginable crowds in nations such as Brazil and England. 2022's FIFA World Cup But apart from the sense of national pride and the obvious chance to watch the world's greatest talents, there is another key reason why the World Cup is so prevalently watched. That is, the numerous touching, inspirational, and entertaining stories that are conveyed through the sport.
The Unprecedented Nature
If one word was to be used to encompass the 2022 World Cup, it would be unprecedented. In all facets of the event, Qatar's rendition of the world's biggest event has been one of many firsts. It is the first event to be held in the Arab world, and the most expensive World Cup to date - at an estimated cost of around 220 billion USD. Furthermore, with the nature of the Qatari summer heat, the event is the first of its kind to be set in November and December. While this does avoid the treacherous heats of the Qatari sun, it does bring its own caveats. With it being held in the middle of the domestic season, players and teams had little time to rest and prepare before playing the World Cup games. This inevitably increases the chance of injury, and many key players were also ruled out for the tournament. Look no further than the reigning Ballon D'or winner Karim Benzema, or the 2018 World Cup winning midfield duo of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante - all having to miss the hallmark event due to injuries. The current World Cup is also set to be the last of its current style, with the 2026 rendition being expanded to 48 teams.
The Football
Nevertheless, despite these new intricacies, the actual football of the World Cup has been stunning. While the true tension and magic of football cannot be encompassed into words, there are still some magical moments to revisit.
Morocco's Miracle Run
In a World Cup littered with shocking underdog wins and surprises, Morocco's run to the World Cup Semi-Final is the cream of the crop. Not even expected to even qualify out of their group, "The Atlas Lions" dominated Group F, beating Belgium and Canada to finish top of their group. Even still, they were expected to be knocked out by Spain in the last 16. However, an empathic performance from goalkeeper Bono led to a famous penalty shootout victory. Next, they would face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. Continuing their miracle run with a 42nd minute goal that they would keep for the rest of the game. While their dream would end with reigning winners France in the semi-final, their miracle run has touched the entire world. While individually they were always weaker than their opponents, as a whole, they stood indomitable. A point typified by the way their resilient defence held up the entire tournament, not allowing the opposition team to score a single goal up until their game to France. (Their only goal conceded was an own goal, and yes, they didn't even concede a single goal in the penalty shootout!.) A resounding message of unity and the importance to always prove the doubters wrong.
Stars' Last Dance
Now while Morocco's underdog story is indeed touching, the other half of football is in its stars. The 2022 World Cup marks the last World Cup for some of the game's biggest names, legends such as Messi, Ronaldo. Modric and Suarez will bid farewell to the world's grandest stage in Qatar. As the NYT put it, "The World Cup is bidding farewell to the starriest cast the game has ever assembled." "The Last Stand of Soccer’s Greatest Generation". While, at the time of writing, Ronaldo, Modric and Suarez have all been eliminated. Messi's dream of finally capturing a World Cup remains in-tact. The only obstacle standing in the way of his permanent international immortality is Kylian Mbappe, much regarded to be the "best in the world" and the heir to Ronaldo and Messi's throne. It's a mouth-watering matchup that beckons to be the most-watched final in history. In the darkest of nights, the stars shine the brightest, and nothing exemplifies that more than in the World Cup.
The Controversies
However, ultimately, despite the glitz and glamour that the game brings. We must not never forget the effort put behind-the-scenes to bring us the product we see on screen. Unfortunately, in the case of 2022's World Cup, this has never been more apparent. Qatar's treatment of migrant workers has been heavily documented and scrutinised, and rightfully so. A 2021 article by the Guardian highlights an estimated 6500 migrant worker deaths since the World Cup was announced in 2011, all due to abhorrent working conditions to meet the event's needs. A mere statistic can never embody the pain that the victims and their families felt, but in this case, we hope it is horrifying enough.
Qatar's rigidity towards enforcing their position on LGBT rights have also also been heavily scrutinised. With no LGBT rights in the country, it was controversial to host the event in Qatar. Stories of rainbow clothing and items were all confiscated before entering the stadium. While we will refrain from commenting on cultural-political matters here, in a world which should be developing in inclusivity and equity, the football world should look to move forward rather than back.This doesn't even cover controversies including Budweiser and the bidding corruption allegations against FIFA and Qatar, all news that are highly interesting. We heavily encourage you to read more and find out for yourselves.
Overall, the 2022 Fifa World Cup is the perfect storm. A microcosm of sport's innate nature to convey stories and messages through entertainment so profound that they transcend time and place. But nevertheless we cannot overlook the horrifying lead-up that has marred the entire event. Ultimately, while it may be simple to simply enjoy the football and ignore the ugly side of the picture, we implore readers to be aware of the controversies that lurk in the shadows. As only through awareness and exposure can we learn from it for the future.
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Written By : Eric Wang
Edited By : Rin kimura
Graphics By : Joyce Liang
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