FIFA Uncovered
(Or any of the myriad alternatives on the same subject)
What You Need to Know
FIFA Uncovered is a TV miniseries released by Netflix in November 2022 to coincide with the World Cup in Qatar. The series consists of four parts, each roughly an hour, and explores the controversial history of FIFA that has led to this highly problematic tournament.
Why it’s a Recommendation
Sportswashing is a term used to describe the practice of individuals, groups, corporations, or governments using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing. A form of propaganda, sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport.
The world’s most popular sport is holding its most prestigious and lavish tournament in Qatar during November and December. On the field the World Cup looks like it will be pretty wide open and exciting this year, and whilst I wouldn’t want to stop anybody enjoying the action, I think it’s important to understand the “sportswashing” that this tournament is trying to achieve. Amongst the major issues (it’s never a good sign when you have a lengthy “controversies” section on Wikipedia):
The working conditions for migrant workers who built the stadiums and infrastructure were abhorrent, and literally hundreds of deaths have been brushed under the carpet.
It is impossible to plausibly believe that the majority of FIFA ExCo members voted for this tournament to be held in Qatar on the merits of the bid without some incentives being involved.
The idea that the investment and sacrifice would be worth it, that Qatar would become a sporting or tourism hub in the future, is unrealistic in the short-term and risks another giant white elephant situation of which there are already too many in recent memory. (And Qatar’s team has already been knocked out with zero points further underlining that they were not deserving of a free spot in the competition.)
There are multiple recent documentaries that are all worth your time that cover these issues in detail. FIFA Uncovered on Netflix is an excellent detailed overview and probably the one I’d most recommend. It offers a good overall history of FIFA, the major characters, and the controversies both before and after the tournament was awarded to Qatar. It’s not perfect though: every time you see Sepp Blatter’s face you will want to punch something, and I felt it sometimes shied away from asking tough questions of the protagonists when it had the chance to (Blatter and the Qatar bid’s general secretary, Hassan al-Thawadi, in particular). Despite this, it’s interesting, entertaining, and infuriating (like many of the best documentaries), and these controversies are an important subject for any fan of the sport.
Other options include John Oliver’s recent segment from HBO’s Last Week Tonight, which is shorter, punchier and classically humorous, and 2021’s The Men Who Sold the World Cup which is available to stream on Discovery Plus.
Whatever you do, don’t get to the end of this tournament without taking a little time to understand the avoidable pain and suffering that has resulted from the greed of a small number of men.
Learn More
Watch
FIFA Uncovered (on Netflix)
Last Week Tonight (on YouTube)
The Men Who Sold the World Cup (on Discovery Plus)
Read
The Fall of the House of FIFA (by David Conn)