Netflix debuts days after a few billion people worldwide tuned in to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar. a 4-episode docuseries — FIFA Uncovered — that goes beneath the surface of the FIFA organization to probe corruption, power struggles, and more at the heart of global professional soccer.
FIFA UncoveredNetflix
“For decades,” Netflix’s logline for FIFA Uncovered explains, “FIFA united the globe through football. But behind the game, craftier schemes were at play. This documentary series traces the organization’s legacy, exploring the pageantry, power struggles, and politics of hosting the World Cup.”
Directed by Daniel Gordon, the limited series unpacks the secret, shadowy world surrounding the organization that’s faced accusations of everything from wire fraud to money laundering, tax evasion, and much more over the years. One episode even compares FIFA to a “criminal organization.”
Episode 1 introduces viewers to a sea of scandal, with 14 FIFA executives being arrested for corruption. Later, it is revealed that there were potentially questionable transactions surrounding the selection of Qatar and Russia for the 2022 World Cups.
Episode 3 of the series — which focuses on Qatar’s winning bid to host this year’s World Cup — will be especially timely and relevant for anyone with even a passing interest in the tournament, the most-watched sports event on the planet, that’s about to unfold in the desert emirate.
“Being a member of FIFA is like being in a secret garden,”The story is told to viewers at one point, and it is somewhat disturbing. “There’s an unspoken code: ‘You can do whatever you want.’”
Qatar World Cup controversy
As far as why this Netflix series is so timely — and why there’s so much controversy around this year’s World Cup being held in Qatar, thanks to a decision FIFA made back in 2010 — there are so many issues that it’s hard to even know where to begin.
READ MORE: “I think it was the wrong decision”: President Obama, in 2010, about FIFA’s Qatar decision
For starters, Qatar’s team had never QualifiedFor a World Cup. Qatar was also given hosting rights by FIFA, despite Qatar being considered a terrorist nation. “high-security risk,”Not to mention the lack of adequate infrastructure at the time, and the severe summer temperatures that forced the game to be rescheduled for this month, for its first time in its history.
“I was shocked and disappointed, but my immediate reaction was that they’d bought this,”A US soccer executive stated that at one point, FIFA Uncovered About Qatar’s selection as a host nation.
And that’s before we even come to the human rights issues.
Gianni Infantino who makes more than $250,000 per month says he feels fulfilled. ‘like a migrant worker’This is in a country that migrant workers working for this World Cup are paid as low as 45p an hour, or none at all.
Shameless, brainless, shockingly tone-deaf https://t.co/CBFHLqplBt
— Alfie | HITC Sevens (@HITCSevens) November 19, 2022
Amnesty International has blasted this year’s tournament as “the World Cup of shame.”According to the organization approximately 1.7 million migrant workers have arrived in Qatar for the World Cup. Many live in terrible squalor — and must pay hundreds of dollars in fees just to be able to work there.
A Human Rights Watch ReportWomen of all ages must obtain permission from their male guardians before they can marry. Both men and women can be jailed for having sex without marriage. Human Rights Watch also has documented numerous instances of violence against LGBT+ communities.
“When you blame Qatar for hosting the World Cup, you have to blame FIFA — because FIFA is the system,”Guido Tognoni was a former advisor of ex-FIFA president Sepp Blezer, as he said during the Netflix series. “The system is FIFA.”
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