World Cup 2022: The Problem Is Qatar, Not Blatter

Everyone is UP IN ARMS!!! about some bloke from FIFA making a light-hearted quip about how gay men should behave when the World Cup is held in Qatar.
'When asked if he foresaw any cultural problems, [Sepp] Blatter, apparently joking, said: "I'd say they [gay fans] should refrain from any sexual activities," BBC reports - you can watch a video report on their site.
Cue boorish laughter from some reactionary bores.
He did immediately qualify this with a more serious and thoughtful comment;
"You see in the Middle East the opening of this culture, it's another culture because it's another religion, but in football we have no boundaries.
"We open everything to everybody and I think there shall not be any discrimination against any human beings be it on this side or that side, be it left, right or whatever.
"If they want to watch a match somewhere in Qatar 2022, I'm sure they will be admitted to such matches...
"I think there is too much concern for a competition that will be done only in 12 years.
"But this gives me the opportunity to say that in Fifa, and this is in the statutes of Fifa, whether it is in politics, whether it is in religion, we don't want racism, and we know what this means, and neither do we want discrimination.
"What we want is just to open this game to everybody and open it to all cultures and this is what we are doing in 2022."
There were still all the usual howls of affected outrage.
This month's Fagburn Fashanu Award for the quickest that an article about The Gays In Sport mentions Justin Fashanu goes to this from The Guardian by Richard Williams;
'The ugly prejudice that casts a shadow over the beautiful game - Twenty years after Justin Fashanu came out football remains out of step with the real world'
Fagburn has written before how he feels hosting the World Cup in a state where homosexuality is still against the law, such as Qatar, is insulting and wrong, wrong, wrong, and how strange it was how some journalists acted as apologists for Qatar.
Fagburn guesses it's good that media folk are getting angry about the FIFA bloke's comment.
So why was there less ink spilled over the more patently anti-gay Qatar than there has been over Blatter?
A clue may be in yesterday's Open Door column in The Guardian.
In November The Guardian ran an appalling puff piece masquerading as "Comment" on why Qatar was the greatest country in the world and really should win the World Cup bid, Why the heat is on Fifa to give the 2022 World Cup to Qatar
The paper has had to apolgise as at no point was it mentioned that the journalist, Louise Gray, had just been on a freebie holiday to the human rights abusing but oil rich gulf state paid for by the Qatari government to get journalists to support its bid.
Oops!
If you read any further apologias for Qatar in the media, or if you see any writer getting slightly mealy-mouthed about this hellish shit state, bear in mind the hack may be thinking whilst they're writing; "I better not be too harsh, I might get a free holiday out of these cunts..."
Journalism - it's prostitution by pen.

World Cup 2022 Qatar: Missing An Open Goal

'Where are the footballers who are glad to be gay? Let’s put things right here before we criticise the Middle East' says Robert Crampton in The Times.
To which any rational person would answer; "Bollocks!"
Let's criticise both.
"Given the medieval attitude to homosexuality in large parts of the Middle East, several critics have also raised concerns about the treatment of gay players at the tournament."
No, most critics are angered because homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
There's even a new cliche uttered in response; "Homosexuality was illegal when England hosted the World Cup in 1967."
Yes, but it's 2010 and it isn't now.
It's good to see journalists defending Qatar - they're very generous with their five star free trips to the sun-kissed gulf state, coincidentally.
But anyway, Robert, you were twisting things to fit your argument...
"Which to me invites the response: never mind potential Qatari attitudes in 12 years’ time, what about actual British attitudes right now?"
Which brings him back to his titular question; "There is not one openly gay footballer among the 92 clubs in the premier and football leagues, or in Scotland as far as I am aware. That’s right. Out of several thousand professional footballers, not one is openly gay, when statistically you might expect there to be quite a few."
So off he goes to tell once more the parable of Justin Fashanu, the only player to come out, whose career then died, and he later commited suicide.
"Last year the Professional Footballers’ Association scrapped plans for an anti-homophobia video."
Though Fagburn suspects this was because the FA realised it was shit.
"Fans — and occasionally other players — routinely direct virulent homophobic abuse at any player whose good looks, or interest in fashion, or art, or books, mark him out as different from the norm."
Yes, but again they don't send gay men to prison in the UK, and homosexuality is still against the law in Qatar.
"...although there may be plenty of reasons to criticise Fifa for awarding the World Cup to Qatar, that state’s possible aversion to gay footballers, 12 years from now, should not be top of the list."
It's not, dear.

• The homo-friendly looking chaps above are of course all players in this year's world Cup photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair.

World Cup 2022 Qatar: Expect Prison

Fagburn doesn't normally follow the sports or football, but is thrilled to hear that Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in 2022.
Let's hope they decriminalise homsexuality before then, eh?
The penalty is up to five years in prison for both men and women.
According to the International Lesbian And Gay Association; "Along with the civil Penal Code also Islamic Sharia law is in force in Qatar, although only applicable to Muslims. The offence of “Zina” makes any sexual act by a married person outside of marriage punishable by death, while sexual acts by non-married persons are punish by flogging – both offences no matter if they were heterosexual or homosexual."
Nice.
Does FIFA not take a country's homophobic laws and human rights record into consideration?

Amnesty International Report on Human Rights in Qatar.