# When will FIFA pull the plug on Qatar? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 26, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623 "2015-02-26T00:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/121 "2015-03-10T09:55:02Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How about just letting the winner host the next games? What happens if they don’t want to? It isn’t cheap to host. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/122 "2015-03-10T11:02:09Z")
FIFA should just buy Greece and hold it there every 4 years. A win-win for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/123 "2015-03-10T11:36:16Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > What happens if they don’t want to? It isn’t cheap to host. Then it goes to the team in second place, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/124 "2015-03-10T12:17:22Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > So a magic wand then? As I’ve said, a breakaway by the major footballing nations (and England) would destroy the credibility of a World Cup played without them. > [@](#): > > Of course. The fact that the ICC basically gets to have its special top members (aka Full Members) determine which Associate Members (which pass all of the minimum criteria of membership) get to enter the ‘inner circle’ is a travesty. It’s even more corrupt than soccer. If you meet whatever minimum criteria, you should be in, no vote required - but what would you expect with a governing body created by the English ;). In addition, the ICC’s president, FWIW, is picked on a rotating basis by one of the Full Members. I’m all for the spread of cricket around the world, but to give an equal say to a country with eight cricket clubs as a huge country in which cricket is the largest sport is IMHO ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/125 "2015-03-10T12:22:16Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > What happens if they don’t want to? It isn’t cheap to host. That reminds of that prank the rest of Europe played on Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest… Voting for them to win four times in a row so they had to pay to host it the next year. They never cottoned on…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/126 "2015-03-10T14:29:37Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > That reminds of that prank the rest of Europe played on Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest… Voting for them to win four times in a row so they had to pay to host it the next year. > > They never cottoned on…😃 And which lead to one of the great sitcom episodes and most definitely the greatest song never to win Eurovision. [My Lovely Horse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG0QKaaLTCE) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/127 "2015-03-10T15:07:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Then it goes to the team in second place, and so on. This isn’t a whole lot different from just having countries bid on it. And to be honest, having the World Cup in different countries, as much as a travesty as 2022 is going to be, can be really cool, too. Holding the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the 2002 Cup in Japan and South Korea, or indeed the 1994 World Cup in the USA, were all to the benefit of the sport. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/128 "2015-03-10T16:52:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > This isn’t a whole lot different from just having countries bid on it. And to be honest, having the World Cup in different countries, as much as a travesty as 2022 is going to be, can be really cool, too. Holding the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the 2002 Cup in Japan and South Korea, or indeed the 1994 World Cup in the USA, were all to the benefit of the sport. This is a pretty healthy perspective right here. I will add that the possibilities of culture clashes between female fans from more, ah, liberal countries and the much more conservative home folks fills me with giddiness. “Brazilian women, Qatar. Qatar, Brazilian women. The lady is wearing what’s known as a ‘tank top’ and, yes, it is indeed quite revealing of her physical assets.” ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/129 "2015-03-10T17:55:09Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > And why not hold the Winter Olympics in Sri Lanka? Because [Dubai](http://youtu.be/DycMJc-Ow-E) would out-spend Sri Lanka in it’s bid. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/130 "2015-03-12T17:23:58Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > That reminds of that prank the rest of Europe played on Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest… Voting for them to win four times in a row so they had to pay to host it the next year. > > They never cottoned on…😃 Not quite. Ireland won 4 times out of 5. Norway interrupted the streak in 1995, although the band that won was a Norwegian-Irish duo, Secret Garden. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623/131 "2015-03-14T18:28:28Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Not quite. Ireland won 4 times out of 5. Norway interrupted the streak in 1995, although the band that won was a Norwegian-Irish duo, Secret Garden. 😃 “_Truth is the first casualty of the Eurovision Song Contest_” - Terry Wogan (or maybe Ken Bruce), circa 19 something or other… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fifa-pull-the-plug-on-qatar/713623.md?page=6)