This Problematic World Cup Needs The World Corrupt Podcast

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I’m not a huge football fan (I come from Cowdenbeath, and the local team is more famous for not winning at home rather than winning), but I do know that the World Cup is nearly here, it’s being held in Qatar, and that’s all sorts of wrong.

Which is where World Corrupt comes in. This joint podcast from the team at Pod Save America and Men In Blazers has been exploring Quatar’s World Cup:

FIFA, soccer’s corrupt governing body, awarded the 2022 edition of the World Cup to Qatar via bribery. The teams, players, and fans of the game must now grapple with the complexities of an ethically fraught, morally bankrupt tournament already soaked in blood and oil– a sportswashed public relations exercise for Qatar that has cost an untold amount of migrant workers their lives since the announcement was made.

Over the five episodes, there’s a light touch from the two hosts guiding you through an incredibly serious subject. The guests have specialised experiences to offer context on this World Cup, including a number of moments where they were involved in the process. And it goes into much more depth than I think you could ever get from anything except a length investigative piece in print.

Timely, relevant, engaging, and informative. This is podcasting showing what it is capable of.

Links to finding the podcast in your favourite app are all here.