Circa 2002. Soccer stadium in Kobe. Pre-quarters of World Cup, Brazil playing valiant Belgium. I had a good seat just behind the goal post. First half had ended goal-less and at half-time, the skimpily clad girls I had seen earlier changing into their skimpy clothes at the entrance, were suddenly near me dancing to their samba beat. It seems they stick to the opposite team’s post so as to celebrate any goals their team score. All of us dudes there were definitely happy to hear that, switching our attention between the dancing ladies, the beer, and the action on the ground. Nobody had any smartphones with camera then, but guys wielding their Nikons and Canons did try to get some sneaky shots of the girls.
The Brazilian dancers who sat behind me. (No, I didn’t take the picture! This is a screen grab I got from that match.)
The
Belgians went toe-to-toe with the Brazilians comprising the four Rs of
Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and Roberto Carlos, but eventually Rivaldo broke
through with a magical left footer after about an hour, and the prolific Ronaldo
finished it off towards the end with a goal of his own.
As I
waited for the two reporters, representing the two top Malayalam newspapers, to
finish filing their stories, so that we could go back together to our hotel
room, I could see distraught Belgians walking by crying, drowning their sorrow
in liquor. It’s not an easy sight watching macho men tearing up in public.
Now,
we have Qatar, a regressive Middle Eastern country, holding the World Cup. There’ll
always be theories on how it gained the rights to hold the tournament ($$$$;;;;),
how numerous lives were lost building those grounds in brutal conditions, etc. But
hey, this is FIFA. Does it really care about all these things? All FIFA (and everyone
else) cares about is that Qatar is rolling in moolah. And, as the saying goes, “money
talks”.
So,
when Qatar says, “It is generally recommended for men and women to ensure their shoulders
and knees are covered,” men and women will cover their heads, shoulders,
knees, and toes. Would Qatar forgive a “wardrobe malfunction” like the one Janet
Jackson had exposing a nipple? Probably not. It’d likely result in a public
beheading or something like that. When Qatar says, a few days before the start
of the tournament, that you can’t drink alcohol at the ground, everybody will
say, “I’ll have a mint tea”. These were all quite probably agreed upon right
from the beginning itself. Making such announcements this close to the
tournament has been a masterstroke. All the ticket money is in the bank.
People have booked their flights and stuff, and there’s no going back.
We all are hypocrites, as
the FIFA chief Infantino infantilely said. The death of labourers, mainly from
South Asian countries, has been in the news for quite some time, but no
meaningful action has been or will ever be taken, because the World Cup-related
construction bonanza had benefited a lot many corporations from around the
world. Many South Asians also prospered, and all these people know about these
but tend to turn a blind eye. Many of them probably hate the Qataris for purely
racist (Arab) or religious (Muslim) reasons or even for their human rights
violations, but they all put their heads down, suffer a bit of humiliation here
and there, and get straight to work, because there is money to be made in one
of the richest countries in the world as long as you stay subservient (and as
long as they have gas). Heck, Qatar even got supreme leader Modijee to dismiss
one of his poison spewers. Money talks!
So, set aside the sanctimonious
attitude, follow the local rules, exploit some South Asian people, renege on
your promises, cover up your women, drown your sorrows in chamomile tea, and go
back. “This Bud Ain’t for You”. Meanwhile I’ll have my Asahi Super Dry and my
ochako of sake and watch the matches on TV, i.e., if I can stay awake.
