FOLLOWING the letter sent by Fifa to all nations competing in the World Cup asking them to “not allow football to be dragged into ideological or political battles”, it appears that the Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman and the former president of Fifa did not get the memo.
Mr Salman, a former Qatar international player, urged competing nations to accept his country’s rules, while offering his sage advice that homosexuality is “damage in the mind”. With one single antediluvian outburst, Mr Salman confirmed the worst fears of many in the international community who cherish human rights and who view the staging of the World Cup in Qatar with anger and not a little apprehension.
To add insult to injury, Sepp Blatter, the former Fifa president and football’s very own Bond villain, now proclaims that he was against the tournament being held in Qatar all along and that it was all Michel Platini’s fault. Blatter’s apparent Damascene conversion to decency and a code of ethics will fool no one.
