The inevitable question: What’s your take on Qatar?

I got asked the inevitable question in an interview the other day…. "What is your take on Qatar?" ⚽ 🌎 👀

... I had three 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

👉🏿 1: I would love to see the public anger, the punchy brand PR machines, the provocative advocacy campaigns that challenge the **DAILY** bad governance practices and decisions that thwart the beautiful game, not just every 4 years.

👉🏿 2: Organizing a global tournament that “unites the world” for the sport with the most fans, players and stakeholders worldwide comes with huge - if not the biggest - responsibility to ensure that there is SPACE for authentic dialogue on political and social issues that intersect with the game and our lives. The FIFA approach to shutting down such dialogue doesn’t help humanity (or the sport).

👉🏿 3: There is a lesser seen / known world of FOOTBALL FOR GOOD that - thanks to mega events - invests in coach education, sports infrastructure, and sports/social programs for young people, often those most marginalized from traditional sport and society. Many of my friends and former teammates have been in Qatar for the past 7 years dedicating their lives to football for good in the Middle East and Asia. Where's the platform to celebrate this?

💡💡 ⚽⚽ MAIN TAKEAWAY? Football is a public good and should be governed and invested in so that it does no harm and includes everyone. Is football governance in its current form fit for purpose?! Is another football possible?!

#qatarworldcup2022 #governance #football #worldcup2022 #FIFA #publicgood #footballforgood #evolvefootball