Qatar’s Big Bet on the World Cup

The Daily

The New York Times

News, Daily News

4.5 • 97.8K Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2022

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The World Cup, the biggest single sporting event on the planet, began earlier this month. By the time the tournament finishes, half the global population is expected to have watched. The 2022 World Cup has also been the focus of over a decade of controversy because of its unlikely host: the tiny, energy-rich country of Qatar. How did such a small nation come to host the tournament, and at what cost? Guest: Tariq Panja, a sports business reporter for The New York Times.

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0:00.0	For the New York Times, I'm Sabrina Taverny-C, and this is the Daily.
0:07.0	Oh, pretty much everyone is watching the World Cup.
0:10.4	This month marked the beginning of the single largest sporting event on the planet.
0:14.2	And fans getting loud and ready to cheer on their country in the world's biggest sporting
0:18.9	event for the World Cup.
0:19.9	It's a tournament that, by the time it finishes, is expected to have been watched by more than
0:29.2	half the world's population.
0:36.6	It has also been the focus of more than a decade of controversy.
0:40.3	It's in Qatar.
0:41.4	It shouldn't be there.
0:42.4	No.
0:43.4	12 years ago, when Qatar was given the 2022 World Cup, there was white criticism.
0:48.3	Because of its unlikely host, the tiny energy-rich country of Qatar.
0:52.4	It's their hosting an event expected to attract over a million spectators in person to a country
0:58.0	just the size of Connecticut.
1:00.0	Today, I talked to my colleague, Taric Pongja, about how Qatar got the cup and it will cost.
1:10.4	It's Monday, November 28.
1:13.9	So, Taric, you cover soccer in the business of sports for the times, and you've been
1:20.1	writing about the World Cup in Qatar since it was selected to host.
1:24.9	And now you're finally there.
1:26.6	So, what's it been like?
1:28.6	It's been a surreal journey.
	...

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