Soccer players do not get to choose where the World Cup is played. If they did, Qatar probably wouldn’t appear on many top 10 lists.
Put aside the logistical headache of packing 32 teams and hundreds of thousands of fans into one metro area for a tournament that typically takes place in at least 10 cities. Never mind the tournament was bumped from summer to winter — smack in the middle of most league seasons — because of the Arabian heat.
The broader concern in FIFA’s suspect selection of Qatar to host this year’s tournament centers on the country’s human rights record: migrant workers trapped in a restrictive employment system known as kafala; hundreds of deaths reportedly linked to stadium and infrastructure projects; gender inequality; and illegality of homosexuality.