So, after years of headlines and criticisms, the 2022 World Cup is now underway in Qatar. FIFA’s decision to select Qatar as the host nation has been under scrutiny for a long time, with allegations of bribery as well as criticism of the country’s treatment of migrant workers, women, and members of the LGBTQ community coming under the spotlight.
In the Last Week Tonight video above John Oliver breaks it all down, from the deaths of foreign workers to the fact Qatar criminalises homosexuality.
Through it all, he keeps drawing attention back to FIFA’s role, making it clear that the organisation was aware of these issues from the start — but went ahead with the decision anyway.
“There is no reason to believe that FIFA will ever do the right thing,” concludes Oliver. “But I would love it if it could for just once, in its shitty history, find a way to hold itself to the lofty ideals that it has the gall to profess.”
