The 2022 Qatar World Cup has been tainted by numerous controversies which have spoiled the event for a number of football fans.

What is usually a passionate patriotic tournament watched by all the eyes of the world, seems to have lost its spark this year.

Qatar’s bid was marred by allegations of bribery and corruption, that over 6,500 migrant workers died building the stadiums, and that it has been using the World Cup to “sportswash” human rights violations within the country.

Ex-Maltese goalkeeper Saviour Darmanin reacted with the words “money talks” to Qatar winning the bid to host the World Cup.

Amidst all the scandals and politics, football is being played and it did not disappoint. There have been quite a few upsets, with the likes of Saudi Arabia beating World Cup favourites Argentina 2-0 and Morocco beating Belgium 2-0. The group stage elimination of Belgium, Denmark and Germany are also big upsets.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke to former players Carmel Busuttil, Darmanin and Ray “Żażu” Farrugia, all of them now coaches, about their reactions to the Qatar World Cup.

 

Carmel Busuttil (centre)

Busuttil, who is considered among the best ever strikers to have graced Maltese football, said that he is not really following the World Cup this year, but he did express his disappointment with Belgium’s poor performances. Busuttil, at the height of his career, played for six years with Belgian side Genk.

However, when speaking about all the controversies surrounding the Qatar World Cup, he said:

“The problem is that this took place 12 years ago, but nobody spoke about it. Now all of a sudden, because it is happening everybody is protesting. I don't know why people did not protest 12 years ago when they took the bid.”

What happened is that at the time the choice was made, nobody realised the extent of that decision, which meant that domestics leagues in Europe had to be truncated for the World Cup to be played in winter, given that the summer in Qatar is too hot.

“Federations should not have accepted this in the first place,” Busuttil, who ow runs a football school, said.

He also found it difficult to follow the matches this year due to their timing, which clashed with his work hours.

Asked whether this was the most political World Cup we have seen, he said that there were others, however, because of social media, everything is being reported a lot more substantially.

Also, he condemned FIFA for controlling players and not letting them express themselves. “Players are scared because they will be suspended.” This was in reference to players not being allowed to wear an LGBTIQ+ band, as they were told that they would be booked before the match started.

“Let's give the players more liberty, not have FIFA control everything.”

 

Saviour Darmanin (left)

Darmanin, who will be remembered mostly for his time with Pieta’ Hotspurs and now runs a goalkeepers’ school, initially said that all the controversies surrounding the Qatar World Cup have discouraged him from following the competition this year.

When talking about the corruption scandal that hit FIFA since Qatar was chosen as the host, he expressed his frustration and disappointment that this was happening to the game that he knows and loves.

“Corruption takes place all over the world, but football is what interests me,” he said.

He pointed out how Qatar should have never won the bid to host the World Cup as it never had the resources to cater for the largest event in the world.

He found this in and of itself suspicious, as it did not make sense that Qatar won the bid when there were other countries which had the proper resources to host.

He also brought up how Qatar was imposing their culture during the World Cup, such as the alcohol ban and its controversial LGBTIQ stand.

He understood that the country might have laws and certain beliefs, but he disagreed that this event should be used to promote and impose their culture on everyone else to follow.

Just like Busuttil, Darmanin also mentioned how the times of the matches are problematic because they clash with work hours.

“With all due respect, I am not going to sacrifice my time from my job for a World Cup when things are the way that they are.”

He could not understand why the date of the World Cup had to be changed just for this country. He felt that the World Cup was out of place being held at this time.

“When it was played in America it was still played in summer, nothing changed.”

Asked about the thousands who died building the stadiums, he said that unfortunately, these things happen all over the world. He pointed out how exploiting workers also happens in Malta, maybe not in the same manner, but people suffer just the same.

 

Ray “Żażu” Farrugia (right)

Farrugia, whose football career spanned between Malta and Australia, and who served as Malta’s national coach between 2018 and 2019, chose not to comment on the controversies surrounding the Qatar World Cup. He spoke on the matches so far and how Malta’s youth development is lacking.

“My favourite team to watch is Argentina. Yes, they lost to Saudi Arabia, but they are showing their strength as every game passes.”

Farrugia commented on how the weather is probably affecting the players, which probably contributed to a few upsets.

He said it is good for football to see teams like Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Cameroon and Japan doing well and not always see the same teams win.

“These teams have prepared themselves properly, they take care of their youths and I believe that this is the main difference between the football of today and the football of the past.”

“If you take care of your youths and you prepare them properly, I believe that you will have a positive future.”

When talking about whether Malta is doing enough to invest in young footballers, he said that he believes that there is talent here, but it is not being exploited well.

“If you want to succeed you need to make big sacrifices and you need to keep your feet on the ground.”

He said that today the youths have all the facilities to express their talent; however, they are not ready to sacrifice a lot and take the leap.

He pointed out that one of the largest problems was the parents’ attitude towards their children. He suggested that parents should let their children have fun, and let them progress step by step, but not put a lot of pressure on their children.

He found this mentality to be one of the main reasons why the youth system is not working.