One of the world’s biggest sporting events culminates on Sunday when France and Argentina meet in the men’s World Cup final in Qatar.
In a straightforward interpretation, France is suspected to have already won in one way 12 years ago, when Qatar was questionably chosen as the World Cup host. After the election, it has been discussed how Qatar bribed officials and thus got the games for themselves.
It is also suspected that the French president at the time with Nicolas Sarkozy has played a key role in the selection.
This has been claimed, for example, by the former president of Fifa Sepp Blatterwho resigned due to the Fifa corruption scandal in 2015. A similar story has also been told by the French media that investigated the events. France Football magazine (you switch to another service) published a 20-page report in February 2013. It also detailed Sarkozy’s involvement.
According to Blatter, Sarkozy hosted a meeting in Paris a week before the selection of the World Cup host.
The then Crown Prince of Qatar and the current Emir, the Sheikh, were present Tamim Al Thanias well as the then president of the European football association UEFA, a French football legend Michel Platini.
According to Blatter, Sarkozy put pressure on Platini so that the Frenchman would have changed his mind and would vote with the UEFA group for Qatar instead of the original option North America.
– Because of Platini and the four votes of the UEFA team, the World Cup went to Qatar instead of the United States. It’s the truth, Blatter stated in November before the start of the World Cup to a Swiss newspaper (you will switch to another service).
The votes went to Qatar 14–8.
In France, the prosecutor’s office is currently investigating what really happened just before Qatar was chosen as the World Cup host.
Platini himself has denied that Sarkozy directly asked him to vote for Qatar. He recalled the lunch before the start of the legal process on French TV in 2014.
– I guess he made it clear (that it would be worthwhile to vote for Qatar). The Australian president was not visible at the table, Platini blurted out.
– Maybe he knew that I was going to vote for Qatar and sold my vote in the name of the interest of France to get one and another.
A year later, however, Platini told the AP news agency that he may have told members of the North American selection committee that he was voting for them. Platini also said he knew Qatar’s vote would be good for France.
However, in the French documentary on the cow trades of the Qatar Games, which can be seen at Areena, a paper is shown that tells a different story about Platini’s decisions. According to the memo addressed to Sarkozy, Platini had not yet made a decision before the secret meeting.
Platini’s former communications manager also said the same. The documentary reveals how the Qataris targeted Platini because of their French votes and influence.
Fighters in the background of the blunder? France has close trade relations with Qatar
Why then would Sarkozy have been willing to get the games for Qatar? Arms deals were also discussed at the same meeting. At that time, the sale of new Rafaele fighters was the number one priority. France is one of the world’s largest arms exporters.
– For Sarkozy, the Rafaele deals were a measure of success in the same way that winning the Champions League is for a footballer. France had received Pakit here and there. In Europe, Brazil and Asia…, a journalist familiar with the relations between Qatar and France Bérengère Bonte stated in the Qatar Games cow trades documentary.
Sarkozy has denied claims that he was influencing the end of the World Cup in Qatar. Even the 6.3 billion euro fighter jet deals were concluded only after Sarkozy’s successor Francois Hollande in the era.
Since then, France and Qatar have signed other big deals. Members of the French Parliament have visited Qatar extensively. The country belongs to members of parliament the fourth most popular destination to visit after Israel, China and the United States. (you switch to another service) The trips of the members of parliament, i.e. the French legislators, have been paid for by the state of Qatar.
Current President of France Emmanuel Macron was also on the spot in Qatar watching the World Cup semi-final against Morocco. Macron will also be watching the final on the spot on Sunday. The comments have been very restrained. Macron announced before the Games that sports should not be mixed with politics.
A visiting researcher at the University of Helsinki who lived in Qatar and recently wrote a book about the Persian Gulf countries Marko Halonen according to Qatari and French relations have been close for a long time. During Sarkozy’s time, relations were even “infinitely warm”.
– The relations between France and Qatar are significant. France is one of Qatar’s most important western partners in the field of trade, Halonen emphasizes.
The French Football Federation has remained silent
The French national football team has been very reserved in its comments on Qatar. Captain Hugo Lloris announced amid the OneLove captain’s armband uproar that he will not wear it because he respects the country’s rules in Qatar. Didier Deschamps announced that he will not comment on the situation in Qatar because he does not want to take part in the public debate.
– The French Football Federation has been too careful not to comment on the accusations. It has been an unnecessarily cautious line when clear human rights violations have been found in Qatar, and no position is taken. It plays into the oppressor’s pocket and is a bit of a strange activity, says Halonen.
Sure, Halonen reminds that, in general, in the Persian Gulf region, Qatar is not an exceptionally problematic country.
– Unfortunately, Qatar is not from the worst end. If we compare, for example, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain, these countries have been criticized for much more serious and terrible things than Qatar, Halonen states.
The ending of the Parisian football club PSG in Qatari ownership also has its own chapter. This too has been suspected with the agreement between Sarkozy and Qatar’s leadership. Before the Qataris, PSG was owned by Sarkozy’s good friend. PSG was in heavy losses before Qatar’s state-owned investment company stepped in.
Historian Halonen hopes that despite its partnerships, France would respect its traditions.
– France is the birthplace of democracy and freedom. France also tries to maintain such an image. I would hope that these words would be stood up and investigated openly. And don’t start blaming others, says Halonen.
A partial failure from Qatar
What about the benefits for Qatar? In recent months, especially in Western and Northern Europe, there has been a lot of talk about human rights violations in Qatar. Homosexuality is forbidden in the country.
of The Guardian (you will switch to another service) according to a report published last year, more than 6,500 workers died in World Cup-related construction projects between 2010 and 2020. Two deaths have become public during the World Cup.
The World Cup, on the other hand, is estimated to have cost up to 213 billion euros. The games in Qatar have been the most expensive football World Cup ever. For example, the seven previous World Cups cost their organizers a little over 40 billion euros in total.
Qatar has been found to practice sports washing at the World Cup. Qatar has been found to be trying to burnish its country’s bloody reputation with the help of the World Cup.
According to Halonen, the World Cup has been partly a failure in this sense.
– Perhaps more criticism has come to Qatar than they have certainly expected. On top of this, there have also been accusations of corruption, says Halonen and refers to the corruption mess of the European Parliament.
According to media reports, Qatar would have tried to influence the members of the European Parliament and decision-making, so that Qatar would be seen in a more positive light there as well.
On the other hand, Halonen reminds that Qatar has also received surprisingly positive feedback about the competition arrangements.
– I lived in Doha during the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Even then, the arrangements were not in good shape. That would be a considerable improvement, says Halonen.
Attention is good for Qatar
What has Qatar gained with hundreds of billions and thousands of deaths? According to the researcher, at least the publicity that Qatar needs. It was bad at times.
– Qatar is a really small country. It doesn’t have much chance to increase its power except with its great gas wealth. It is afraid of several of its neighbors and has been in bad fights. Qatar would be easy to conquer if there was a big attack there. Qatar wants to be known around the world and appear to be a sovereign country. With all its problems, Qatar has gained attention and has been able to create allies, such as Turkey, Halonen states.
France’s example also shows that Qatar is an important partner for many countries around Europe. The war in Ukraine has also highlighted Qatar’s role in the natural gas business.
How will it go in the future? Can we put pressure on Qatar to improve conditions?
It is not necessarily easy, no matter how much negotiation is used.
– It’s often the case that when one is booed, the other is bowed down. Qatar also has the opportunity to move its activities and money to, for example, China. There are also already indications of that. Qatar is not dependent on cooperation with Europe if there is criticism, Halonen states.
However, one thing is certain. The Qatari mannequin and PSG star will lift the trophy anyway. May it have dominated football for the past decades Lionel Messi or shining as the brightest star of the sport for decades to come Kylian Mbappé. To top it all off, one of the two will probably win the goal kingship of the games.
The World Cup final between Argentina and France will be played on Sunday from 17:00. Live broadcast on TV2, Areena and the app from 16:00.