Skip to main content
Fifa’s diseased orchard needs chopping down
Football’s ethics scandal gets more disgusting every day, writes KADEEM SIMMONDS

A TERRIBLE reflection on the world of sport. That’s what construction union Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy called the International Association of Athletics Federations decision to hold the 2019 Championships in Qatar.

The same can be said about Fifa deciding to hand Qatar the 2022 World Cup — though if you’re extremely generous you could claim that the extreme exploitation of migrant workers wasn’t quite as clear in 2010.

Since then Fifa have had many chances to strip Qatar of the tournament and faced countless calls to do so. The world athletics body should have known better than to follow Fifa’s lead.


The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
1966 World Cup
Features / 11 June 2026
11 June 2026

ROGER McKENZIE explains why he can’t support this year’s World Cup

A cyclist rides past an installation promoting the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico, February 25, 2026
Men's Football / 26 February 2026
26 February 2026
Algeria�s Imane Khelif (left) in action against Thailand�s Janjaem Suwannapheng during the Women�s 66kg Semi-Final at Roland-Garros Stadium on the Eleventh day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Picture date: Tuesday August 6, 2024
Boxing / 4 July 2025
4 July 2025

The Khelif gender row shows no sign of being resolved to the satisfaction of anyone involved anytime soon, says boxing writer JOHN WIGHT