The last qualifying matches for the World Cup have been played in recent weeks. Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates at Portugal have outperformed the Italians and will go to Qatar, where the opening game will be played in Doha on November 21. Hopefully we can fully enjoy Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, two phenomena that are very likely to play their last world championship.
We are living in turbulent times, as FIFA President Gianni Infantino pointed out this week at the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha. Wars are raging in different countries. And despite a global epidemic that is still not over, it does not appear that peoples or people individually have come closer together in the past two years. Covid-19 is less of a threat now than it was some time ago, but countries around the world have not been able to properly protect their residents against the virus. The number of vaccinated people is very low, especially in poorer countries. At the same FIFA conference, the director-general of the World Health Organization WHO therefore spoke about the need to bring the vaccination rate for all countries to at least 70 percent. And he stressed that the pandemic will continue until that percentage is reached.
In Qatar, FIFA and WHO, as two global organizations, must ensure that the World Cup takes place in a safe manner.
Millions of fans are eager to see their national teams in action at the biggest sporting event in the world. Another wave of joy, sorrow and pride awaits us – emotions unleashed by that ball, the green grass and packed stadiums. Billions of people glued to the TV will sympathize with their teams for four weeks.
Qatar has made great progress in many areas in recent years. Also in the field of human rights and the safety of migrant workers. The Qataris are doing their best to please supporters from around the world, and it cannot but be another special football month, with the usual sporting surprises. Hopefully it will be one big football party.
As I mentioned before, it is easier to criticize others from a distance than to look at yourself in the mirror. If you want change, you have to be part of the movement. Qatar is far from perfect, like most countries in the world. But the country is making progress, which is better than stagnation – the latter often leads to regression, as is currently happening in Europe with discrimination against refugees.
Constructive criticism is helpful to Qatar. In a world where war is still raging, many millions of people are on the run and where a virus has been fighting for a few years now, the World Cup at the end of this year will be a welcome distraction. We can all use a joyful and successful tournament.
Clarence Seedorf is a former football player. Now he is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and guest speaker.