A Troubled Cup for the Beautiful Game

Why It Matters

Council on Foreign Relations

News

4.2 • 876 Ratings

🗓️ 23 November 2022

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has kicked off in Qatar, and billions of fans worldwide are tuning in to the world’s most popular live event. And yet as in years past, the Qatar Cup is transpiring under the shadow of controversy. Featured Guests Laurent Dubois (Academic Director, Karsh Institute of Democracy and John L. Nau III Bicentennial Professor of the History & Principles of Democracy, University of Virginia) For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/troubled-cup-beautiful-game

Transcript

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0:00.0	One of the biggest sporting events on earth. It's a sporting occasion like no other.
0:08.7	A country even qualifying for it is a cause for huge celebration.
0:14.5	It was a moment that people were craving. It was as if a bottle of champagne
0:18.8	finally exploded and it was indeed cathartic.
0:21.6	A la laplur!ay, Leplur!
0:24.0	Two thirds of the team are of immigrant origin.
0:27.0	This is something that we should celebrate.
0:29.0	France beat Croatia in the final in Moscow by four goals.
0:32.0	Sway the world champions.
0:34.0	Italy are champions of the world.
0:38.0	It is a World Cup final officially kicked off in Qatar with 32 nations competing for the championship
0:56.2	title.
0:57.2	You may have seen some of the big moments so far, like Saudi Arabia's crazy upset
1:01.6	of Argentina in the first round.
1:04.0	At the same time, you've probably seen some of the news coverage too.
1:08.0	This year's games have been embroiled in controversy,
1:11.3	from Qatar's human rights abuses to FIFA corruption to
1:15.0	political conflicts happening along the sidelines.
1:18.2	Soccer, aka football, is the most popular sport in the world and every FIFA World Cup final is
1:25.5	watched by billions of fans internationally. Think of it this way. If aliens
1:30.3	studied Earth they would probably note in their report that all humans, regardless of where they live, are driven to fits of passion by 22 people kicking a ball up and down a field.
1:42.0	There's simply nothing else like it on the planet. But why?
	...

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