Jul 23, 2026 #worldcup #qatar #politics
Was the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 judged by different standards from other tournaments, before or sinc

Jul 23, 2026 #worldcup #qatar #politics
Was the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 judged by different standards from other tournaments, before or since?

When FIFA announced the decision, it made history — and triggered one of the fiercest controversies in modern sport. Allegations of corruption, political influence, worker abuse, cultural bias and media double standards followed the tournament for more than a decade. Through interviews with FIFA insiders, journalists, academics, activists, migrant workers and Qatari officials, A Game of Double Standards investigates how Qatar 2022 became a global battleground over power, image, and accountability.

The film asks whether international scrutiny exposed legitimate concerns, or whether Qatar was judged by standards rarely applied to other hosts. Comparing Qatar with past tournaments in Europe, Russia, and China, it examines FIFA’s culture of secrecy, the politics of global sport, and the human cost behind football’s biggest event.

Contributors:
Sepp Blatter – former FIFA president
Guido Tognoni – former FIFA Director of Communications
Hassan Al Thawadi – Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy
Simon Chadwick – Professor of Sport, University of Leeds
Jaber Al Harami – Editor-in-Chief, Asharq newspaper, Qatar
Bonita Mersiades – Australian sports administrator
Gunther Latsch – investigative journalist, Der Spiegel
Ambet Yuson – General Secretary, Building and Wood Workers’ International Union
Natalie Koch – Professor of Geopolitics and Sport
Steve Cockburn – Amnesty International
Pete Pattisson – Guardian reporter
Rosa Moussaoui – investigative journalist, L’Humanité
Richard Bloch – labour law expert
David Miller – Professor of Sociology, University of Bristol