Footballers should BOYCOTT Qatar 2022

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Over this international weekend, a number of nations players have worn T-Shirts to make an apparent statement about human rights abuses Qatar.

The Guardian recently revealed that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago.

In comparison, 2 people died in construction of stadia for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and there were 0 fatalities during the building of the 2012 London Olympics facilities.

Qatar are basically using slave labour to build their stadium. A lack of health and safety, lack of concern for workers well being. Workers being underpaid and exploited so that Qatar put on a show piece event.

It is a disgrace that Qatar won the bid to win the World Cup. But they are not the first country to use sport to improve its global reputation.

For years, countries with questionable human rights record have used sport in an attempt to reinvent themselves. It is called “sportswashing”.

From the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing through to Qatar 2022, sportswashing is becoming more common as authorities and clubs put aside their morals and values to sell their sport to the highest bidder.

Last year saw the world title heavyweight clash between anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz take place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s relatively sudden interest in sports can be construed as a soft power tactic to help distract from the kingdom’s ongoing human rights abuses and the Yemen crisis.

The kingdom has hosted the Race of Champions (ROC) motorsport event, secured a long-term deal with the WWE that includes multiple shows a year, hosted boxing events headlined by stars like Amir Khan, hosted a PGA European Tour golf event.

Azerbaijan is another nation using sport as a distraction from what is actually happening in their country.

Despite human rights infringements, a lack of press freedom, a clear threat of terrorism and Azerbaijan being labelled as “not free”; the likes of UEFA, the IAAF and the FIA have all awarded Azerbaijan major events in recent years, including the recent Europa League final.

Wearing a T-Shirt in a qualifier is both too little and too late.

Nations should have been protesting 10 years ago when Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup.

Did the worlds footballing authorise really think the way Qatari’s (and other Arab Peninsula) way of building would suddenly change because they had a World Cup?

Thousand’s of exploited immigrant workers have died over the years across Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia in recent years as states attempt to build the biggest sky scrappers, the most expensive hotels, and attract Western money.

These states and countries are amongst the biggest human rights violators in the world. But the Western world mainly turn a blind eye as they holiday in the Middle East.

Event organisers take the millions (and even more in back handers) to take their World Cup, their Formula 1 race, their Athletics World Championship to these places, knowing full well thousands will die building the structures required to host their events.

What is happening in Qatar to Asian workers, in China to Ughir Muslims and in Myanmar to Rohingya Muslims should be headline news. Every single day. But it is larger ignored with more time spent on what is happening in America.

This is real persecution. It is real slavery. It is genocide. And it goes ignored.

Wearing a T-Shirt is simply not enough.

If those footballers wish to take a real stand, boycott the tournament.

Make it clear to FIFA that giving a global sporting event to Qatar was a disgrace and a death sentence to thousands.

Germany was one of the nations to wear a T-Shirt over the weekend. How about the German football team announce they boycott the World Cup? And then the Norwegian FA also pull out in support.

It will not be too long until England follow. And then France, Italy and Spain.

And then once the major nations have boycotted, sponsors would soon follow. A World Cup without European nations would be pointless.

And FIFA could not punish those countries. It needs Europe. That is where the money is in football.

A collective boycotting of Qatar 2022 would make a clear and obvious statement. Stop hosting these events in countries with horrendous human rights records.

And hopefully where football leads, athletics, F1 and more follow.

Lewis Hamilton does fantastic work highlighting the worlds issues. But that all goes to pot when he lines up with an Arab Prince to collect another winners trophy. Happy to take the glory whilst standing on a track which hundreds died to build.

F1 would change overnight if Hamilton, followed by other drivers, said “no, I do not want to race in Bahrain.

Sport can hugely influence the world. But we need its stars to back up their words with real actions.

Wearing a T-Shirt is not enough.

Boycott Qatar 2022.

Keenos

Odergaard and Smith Rowe CAN play together

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Emile Smith Rowe was in fine form prior to the signing of Martin Odergaard.

Many fans and Martin Keown criticised Mikel Artera for shunting the Smite Rowe out of the side to make space for the loanee.

Keown’s justification for criticism was that Arteta should not be “using key games to blood a youngster, a project. He should play his senior players”. This of course ignored the fact that Odergaard is older and more experienced then Smith Rowe. It really highlights how poor a pundit Keown has become.

Odergaard has had a solid start to his time at Arsenal. But it is important that we do not go over the top in praise and we remember that he is only on loan from Real Madrid. There is a long way to go before we can talk about him being a long term Mesut Ozil replacement.

So say Odergaard does join permanently. What does that mean for the future and for Smith Rowe specifically?

The Sorcerer and His Apprentice

Are Arsenal fans the only supporters in the world that are concerned about having 2 good players in the same position? The only fans who are concerned about signing a player that improves us because he might stunt the growth of a younger player?

We can easily accommodate Odergaard and Smith Rowe in the squad, giving us 2 options at 10.

You have Odergaard as first choice, and then Smith Rowe as his back up.

With Arsenal consistently playing around 50 games a season, it allows us to rest and rotate where required.

Smith Rowe has a niggly injury record, so it would be dangerous to have him as the only option at 10.

Signing Odergard alongside Smith Rowe gives us squad depth and encourages internal competition which would hopefully drive both players to become even better.

Play Both

In recent weeks, we have seen Odergaard play in the middle and Smith Rowe play on the wing – something which Keown has also criticised Arteta for. But playing this way makes a lot of sense.

The Willian signing last summer got a lot of people asking “why” and “what is the point” but it also gave a clue with what Arteta wanted to do (but just did not have the players).

Kieran Tierney is such an attacking threat on the left hand side that you want a left winger who is comfortable dropping inside, dragging the opponents full back in, and giving Tierney the space to get round the outside.

When Bukayo Saka is on the left, Arsenal are easier to defend against as Saka and Tierney go looking for the same space.

Playing a right footed “10” on the left of midfield gives Tierney the space he wants.

What it then also does is create an overload in the middle of the park

Your left winger drops inside to give the full back space, and suddenly Arsenal have two 10s causing havoc centrally.

It is similar to how we played when we had Mesut Ozil, Arron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez.

Ozil would often play right wing, with Ramsey in the middle.

Mesut would then drop inside giving Hector Bellerin the space to run into and overload the opponents centrally. That would in turn free up space on the other side of the pitch for Alexis Sanchez to operate in.

The invincibles also did similar with Robert Pires.

Pires would often drop inside alongside Dennis Bergkamp. This move created space for Ashley Cole to exploit.

So we could easily play Odergaard in the middle Smith Rowe outside him, dropping inside.

With Saka doing similar on the right hand side, suddenly we have 3 creative outlets centrally, with the width provided by the full backs.

And it looks a little something like this:

Signings

If Arsenal do sign Odergaard, and with the emergence of Smith Rowe, Edu and Artera will still look to sign someone on the left hand side.

With Saka, Pepe, Smith Rowe, Odergaard and Willian, Arsenal have 5 options for the 3 positions behind the striker. We could do with a 6th.

We need to find a similar Odergaard level signing on that left hand side so that we can return to the “sorcerer and apprentice” situation described above.

You then have Saka, Odergaard and a new left winger (who drops inside), with Emith Rowe then being cover and competition at both 10 and outside. With Willian being 6th choice.

Plenty to think about during the international break…

Keenos

Ooh Ah Odergaard

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Martin Odegaard took Sunday’s game by the scruff of the neck and dragged Arsenal back into it.

It was a terrific performance from the Norwegian loanee and one which has got Arsenal fans salivating. But I think we need to get a few things out there

Stop the Mesut Ozil comparisons

Mesut Ozil is no longer an Arsenal player, yet his “fan boys” and “haters” are still expending energy bringing him up at every opportunity.

On one hand you have people saying “Odegaard is putting in the performances we wished Ozil did” and “Odegaard taking the game by the scruff of the neck unlike a certain German”.

 And then you have the responses of “Ozil at 22 was signing for Real Madrid. Odegaard at 22 is not wanted by Real Madrid” and “at the same age, Ozil was a superior player”.

How about we just stop it? On both sides.

Ozil was a world class player. I watched in awe as he ripped apart England in the Euro U21 final back in 2009. But he has not played consistently to a world class level for many years.

Likewise Odegaard is not yet a world class player. After his global break through as a school boy, his career has stalled. But he has the ability to become of the best midfielders in the world.

So lets allow Odegaard to develop without continually comparing him to a former world class player.

Odegaard is Odegaard. Ozil is Ozil.

Let’s not go OTT

Odegaard has had a couple of good games in an Arsenal shirt, and there is definitely a good player in there. But he still needs the time and space to develop.

Once he has put in a dozen or so performances together in a short space of time at a similar level as Sunday, we can then talk. Until then he is just a young player with talent. He is not yet the solution to Arsenal’s 10 problem.

Should Arsenal make him permanent

The overreaction world we live in has left some saying Arsenal should “break the bank” to make his deal permanent.

That is an example of people going OTT.

Whether Arsenal make his deal permanent depends on many factors:

1) Does he continue his current form, proving that he is worthwhile huge investment

2) Do Real Madrid want to sell? Or do they see this as the final stage of his development? If he continues to develop and put in match winning performances, won’t they want him back

3) And if they do sell, how much will they command? And will Arsenal pay it? Does it make sense for Arsenal to spend £40million+ on a player with a handful of good games? Remember, Dani Ceballos was in a similar position last year

4) And would there be other interested parties? If Odergaard continues to do well, Arsenal might find competition from Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham

There is a long way to go between where we are now and Odergaard becoming a world class permanent performer for Arsenal.

And what for Emile Smith Rowe?

Before Arsenal signed Odergaard, Smite Rowe was getting a solid run in the team and making a case to be a long term option in the middle of the park.

Recently Smith Rowe has found himself shunted out left or on the bench as Arteta accommodates Odergaard. So what would his future be?

That is probably a discussion for another blog.

Keenos