– And you’re lying? Everyone knows what this question is about. What “shines” or not. World Cup. The new political question par excellence. The tension before the answer to the Qatari question is much higher than in many football matches. Because the answer is decisive. It shows which team you belong to.
Football patriots? “Yes, something went wrong in Qatar,” they say. But there is simply no other way. “I must lie!” Especially when Switzerland plays. Then you will find her proudly in a tank top in front of the lodge. With beer in hand, disaster is easy to quell. Euphoria Tshutti wins.
Others put their “Boycott Qatar” stickers on the table before the discussion even started. Compare the games to The Hunger Games and other barbarian battles. “There’s too much blood on this – if you’re lying about the World Cup, you’re an accomplice.” Those who especially love football should not participate here, they say.
Watched too many Coca-Cola commercials?
This World Cup once again stimulates discussions about morality, privilege and ivory towers. Hasn’t football always been considered a sport that brings people together? Maybe Coca-Cola ads talked about it so often that at some point we started to believe it. Anyway. Now he separates the ghosts. Sepp Blatter probably imagined things differently.
The fact is that there are many reasons why you should stay away from a football event. FIFA’s machinations have been unworthy of support for years. Bribes, human rights violations. The training in Qatar cost many lives. Our entertainment costs lives.
Qatar, Zalando, Avocado
The sad truth is that our happiness is largely dependent on the suffering of other, less privileged people. Whether it’s the last Zalando order, a short flight to London, or an avocado toast in the morning. The World Cup is not an isolated case.
This “nöd z’luege” is just a drop in the ocean. I still don’t watch. It’s not a particularly big sacrifice for me, I’m not a football fan. The good news about the fiasco is that public viewing is hardly enjoyable when the temperature is five degrees and the wind is icy. For some this may be easier.
Noah Dibbasey (21) studies social sciences at the University of Bern. She writes to Bleek every second Friday.