The Mouse that Roared
I didn't see that coming. FIFA is always full of surprises, and granting the World Cup to Qatar in 2022 has to be one of the biggest ones. The issues are myriad, for example how do you get 8 full sized stadiums in a country the size of Rhode Island? Are they going to just reclaim an island in the shape of a big soccer ball and put a stadium in each "panel"? What about playing in the 120 F heat of summer in the Persian Gulf? 8 stadiums is hard; 8 stadiums with air conditioning for 80,000 screaming fans wielding vuvuzelas (or something even worse) is near impossible.
And then there's security, and the bogeyman of terrorism at the biggest sporting event in the world (or the Universe, why not aim high?). So what happens then? Who gets to go to games? Who is screened to within an inch of their life? I am looking forward to seeing how they organize ... it was a bold move FIFA, let's see if the gamble pays off.
Comments
Consider: At this moment, there are 7-, 8-, 9-year-old boys who are committing the remainder of their childhood to training for this venue. When I was 7, we were still swarming around the ball until it squirted loose, and this process was repeated for 35 or 40 minutes.
Posted by: Dr. Mike | January 20, 2011 1:26 PM
Good point, but I can't imagine how they're going to simulate the weather they're likely to encounter. Should be interesting ...
Posted by: Lo Fat Mo | January 20, 2011 1:43 PM