by James M. Dorsey Imagining himself as a peacemaker in a conflict-ridden part of the world, FIFA President Gianni Infantino sees a 2022 World Cup shared by Qatar with its Gulf detractors, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as… Continue Reading
by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen As soccer’s governing body gathers in Miami on March 14-15, the vexed question of whether to bring forward the expansion of the FIFA World Cup, currently scheduled for the 2026 tournament in North America, to Qatar… Continue Reading
by James Brownsell So much of this Gulf Crisis has been so petty, so childish, so frivolous. Like little boys squabbling over toys, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been picking on their little brother Qatar for having an independent… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, not surprisingly, skipped the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] annual summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia on December 9, 2019. Despite the Saudi king’s personal invitation to the Qatari ruler… Continue Reading
by James M. Dorsey With the 2018 World Cup in Russia behind it, the soccer world’s focus shifts to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Politics and the Gulf’s internecine political and legal battles have already shaped debate about FIFA’s controversial… Continue Reading