Qatar's World Cup

Throughline

NPR

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.7 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2022

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Football, aka soccer, is life. At least, it is for many people across the globe. There are few things that are universally beloved but this sport comes close. And as teams on nearly every continent prepare for the start of the World Cup, all eyes are on one tiny country at the tip of the desert. Qatar. The first Arab country ever to secure the World Cup bid. But it's been a long and complicated road to get to this moment. Espionage. Embargoes. Covert deals. This is the story of Qatar's decades-long pursuit of the World Cup bid and its role in the nation's transformation into a global power.

Transcript

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0:00.0	My first ever memory, really strong football memory, was the 1986 World Cup.
0:13.9	The Aztec Astadium, a wash with colour, a vibrant atmosphere for this World Cup quarterfinal
0:19.1	between Argentina and England.
0:21.2	And this was a very special World Cup.
0:24.5	It was Mexico in 1986, this far away land, which might as well have been on the moon.
0:29.5	The course final was to get England vs Argentina.
0:36.5	I just remember watching that day.
0:40.5	And Maradona gives Argentina the lead.
0:44.5	The England players protesting to the referee.
0:48.5	Maradona basically punches the ball into the net with his hand.
0:53.5	I remember waiting for the referee to close whistle, so obvious.
0:57.5	It was obvious this was a foul.
0:59.5	And he didn't.
1:01.5	And the goal is never.
1:04.5	I remember crying my eyes out, because it didn't say it wasn't fair.
1:08.5	Like it didn't, this is like my innocence was shattered in that moment.
1:13.5	This is James Montecu.
1:15.5	He was five years old, living in the small city of Chalmsford in England.
1:19.5	When he watched Argentina's Diego Maradona punch a goal into England's net, using his hand.
1:26.5	Sure, it was one of the most blatant acts of cheating in sports history.
1:30.5	But since the referee didn't have a clear view of it, and instant replay didn't exist yet, the goal was counted.
1:37.5	He's called the hand of God, because God himself came down and wanted to smoke the English.
	...

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