Why I’m Not Boycotting the FIFA World Cup 2022

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Abril
4 min readNov 23, 2022
This photo was taken by the author

Long before the games started, this year’s World Cup was shrouded in controversies. Comments sections in many social media outlets have been filled with so much hate against Qataris. Most of these comments are baseless accusations and nasty gossip.

Many family members and friends have lived and worked in Qatar for years. One of my aunts was there for decades and, with her earnings, supported families back home. Although she never asked for it, she’s received gifts and financial support now that she’s retired.

She was even able to help others get employed at her workplace.
They haven’t had any complaints about the way their employers treat them.
They aren’t forced to convert to their employers’ religion. There has never been a situation where they were subjected to torture, imprisonment, or stoning.

Now, is it paradise? Is it all rainbows and unicorns and all things nice?
No. Where can that be?

The Qataris are human beings as well. It appears as though that is forgotten. They are grandparents, mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and families who hold their morals and values highly. Many are respectful, loyal, down-to-earth…

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Abril

Sharing my own stories and those of others I’ve met along life’s highways. As Dostoevsky said, “But how could you live and have no story to tell?”