Qatar 2022 World Cup Could Be in Jeopardy
Scott Morris | June 7, 2017
Earlier this week seven Arab nations announced they severed diplomatic, travel and economic ties with Qatar.
Once the announcements by each country were made Twitter became alive with questions about whether any action was being taken by sportsbooks on what would happen to the 2022 World Cup that is scheduled to be played in Qatar.
More money is bet on the World Cup than any other single sporting event around the world. The selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup might be one of the most controversial ever made in the 90-year history of the event.
That was well before the countries of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Yemen all decided to cut ties with the small but very wealthy nation due to its alleged support of terrorism.
U.S. President Donald Trump called the move by the Gulf states as well as others a sign of countries uniting against terrorism in the Middle East.
Yet, Qatar is a major military partner with the U.S. with more than 11,000 U.S. and allied coalition troops based there.
Significant controversy has swirled around Qatar’s selection to host the 2022 World Cup since it was first announced. Complaints to start were about the exceedingly hot summer weather in the country where temperatures routinely reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since work started on the stadiums required to host the event, many allegations have been made about worker abuse and those continue.
FIFA the world governing body for soccer has been known to be one of the most corrupt organizations in the world and this move by the Gulf states will make the FIFA choice for Qatar that much more controversial.
Regardless of where the World Cup is held, the betting handle for the matches will be huge. One more World Cup will be played prior to the 2022 Qatar World when Russia hosts the 2018 World Cup next summer.
The longer the Qatar is isolated by the seven countries, the stronger the possibility becomes that FIFA may have to make a decision about the 2022 World Cup.
