Western coverage of the 2022 World Cup was flooded with criticism towards the host, and has re-emerged with the recent announcement of Morocco as joint host of the 2030 World Cup.
Zara*, who is a gay muslim footballer from Morocco, said: “The Western media feel morally superior to non-Western countries.
“There’s a Western way of living, and there’s a non-Western way of living. In non-Western countries, they accept that their way of living is right for them and not for everyone.
“But in Western countries, they don’t accept that. They feel that their way of living is the only way to live.”
Coverage of the 2022 World Cup was dominated by Western media speaking for Qataris on what they considered pressing societal issues, but non-official Qatari voices were very rarely heard.
Noora Al-Saai, a sociolegal researcher focusing on Qatar who was frequently asked by Western media to comment on these issues, said in a blog post: “While I believe many issues are worthy of being highlighted and discussed, I have been reluctant to engage with most of the requests I received, primarily because they came with an orientalist undertone.”
During the BBC’s 2022 World Cup coverage, the opening ceremonies were even replaced by a human rights message from Gary Lineker.
Zara said: “Muslims aren’t coming to England and saying Being gay is a sin. Why do you have gay rights? Change the law right now, because I want to come to this country for a month to watch football. And ban alcohol and drugs.
“They’re not doing that. They’re coming to a country, respecting it and its liberal views and outlook on life.”
Despite the 2030 World Cup being nearly seven years away, media coverage criticising Morocco and its perceived treatment of LGBTQ+ people has already begun.
*Name changed to protect anonymity at Zara’s request