I agree with the first comment on this article:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8438089/UEFA-reveals-that-Euro-2020-will-be-co-hosted-by-13-different-countries

As if holding a World Cup in Qatar wasn't ridiculous enough, now this. Platini, please go away.

@Tuanis. Qatar does have a professional league and has had one since 1963.
 With 12 teams
and Al Sadd Doha of Qatar actually won the AFC Champions league in 2011.

@PuppetMaster: Please don't accuse someone of being racist, whilst being racist yourself towards Jews in the same sentence. It makes you looks bad.

@Heisinburg: I don't agree at all. The World Cup's purpose is about football, not world peace. I think you're talking about the Olympics, instead. The World Cup doesn't belong in Qatar for the same reason that the Rugby World Cup doesn't belong in India. Again, it's depriving nations who take the World Cup seriously from hosting it, just so that the Qatari royal family can make some more money.

@Lodatz, well it looks like COYSPURS2008 made a point about the benefits of Qatar hosting the World Cup. I think your point is bias towards those countries that have yet been given a chance to let their voices be heard around the World. Yes, it's about football, but it's called a the World Cup for a reason - most countries in the World compete in it, even the little countries we are still unaware of. World Cup is about football, but it should also be about giving the opportunity to expand the Football population in the future, especially in those countries that have yet believed that it's possible that Football can become big in their countries.

@Heisinburg: I've tried to persuade COYS that the benefit he thinks will come, is not really what's going to happen. Would anyone like to know how South Africa are doing, post-World Cup?

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2010/09/08/53s593537.htm

The picture says it all, but read the whole thing, too.

But okay, if it's about giving and sharing, why don't we take a look at whether or not Qatar deserve it? What have Qatar done to earn this wonderful opportunity? Why aren't we using the power of football to end warfare in the Congo, or to soften the regime in North Korea?. Pyongyang could be the venue for the final -- it has the biggest stadium in the world.

Again, the World Cup is not a gift. It is a privilege, and a responsibility. Qatar have done nothing to earn it, either in a footballing sense, or otherwise, other than having a rich monarchy who are trying to find new business industries while they still have some oil left to fund the transition.

There's nothing inspiring about this. It's sheer exploitation, and it won't help the Arabian peninsula one bit.

Again, if someone wants rainbows and lollipops, give them the Olympics. The World Cup should not be something that is sold, in my mind.

@PuppetMaster, your last sentence quite frankly is out of line.

I agree with Lodatz here in a way, anyone who actually knows the politics behind football knows this is all about money in both cases with Russia & Qatar, I personally don't care if Qatar don't have any history but the world cup should go to a country that is in love with the sport in my opinion, which in all honesty in this instance isn't really the case, not forgetting that by sending the WC out to countries like Russia & Qatar it helps get votes when re-election time comes round.

The problem is that the way the bidding process is structured and the fact that Fifa officials arent exactly very honest, only rich and powerful countries have a realistic chance of landing the World Cup now. I'd much rather have it in a country like Paraguay or Chile which have a huge number of passionate football fans even though they may not have these massive new stadiums.

if it's all about money, then fair enough. But if it was done in a football sense (which doesn't seem believable nowadays), then it could have defined football's motto, "Anything can happen", in a whole new platform.

Do you have something against Qatar? it's not difficult to do it in winter, so stop. Qatar just want to make sport better. Taht's their vision and I respect it. I went to Dubai and it became one of the best towns in the world: rich, honest and entertaining. That's the same case for Russia, they have potential they have quality players. Of course some arrogant british or french will be against.

Making Euro in ukraine was a fanstastic move by Platini. I'm supporting Qatar for the world for doing the world cup because they deserve it. Now look at Brazil, they can't even build up the maracana. So stop dissing Qatar and all arabic  countries, please. At least go there and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Making Euro in Ukraine was a smart move from Platini because Ukraine is a poor country, they suffered the terrible law of communism. Remember that 50 years ago, Middle East was nothing, they became rich because they had the will to do it. Look at Europe, WE ARE GETTING RIDICULOUS BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE FOOD TO OUR FAMILIES. PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS AND THERE IS NO JOBS!!!!

I find it disturbing that you don't respect Qatar and Russia. They are our futute, because at least, they have money.

@expertfootball11: I find it disturbing that none of your arguments have anything to do with football.

But, since I've asked before, I'll ask again: what have Qatar done to earn it?

See, here's the thing -- you keep trying to make it as though I'm just being mean to Qatar, or the Middle-East in general. There is not a single point about football in your three posts; it's all just accusations of 'disliking Qatar', or being 'arrogant', or blah-blah-effing-blah. I'm not interested in discussing the politics or the history of the Middle-East, or catering to your own prejudices about how 'racist' and 'arrogant' us folk in the West are, just for pointing out that football's biggest tournament doesn't belong in a country with no football history, tradition, culture or passion. And, in actual fact, I think it's good thing that we're not talking about those things, because to be perfectly honest, when you have country that Amnesty International has uncovered gross human rights violations, and whose wealth comes SOLELY from oil and natural gas, not this 'will' you mentioned, I could indeed be quite damning. I don't think Qatar is the beautiful, wonderful, deserving place that you think it is, but even if it was, what does that have to do with football?

Why can't you give me a reason, related to football?

The World Cup is not the Olympics. 

And as for Russia, why don't you go ask the Brazilian players who are having bananas thrown at them, and whose club's supporters have written a petition to the owners demanding that their black and gay players be ejected?

I find it disturbing that none of that appears to matter to you, alongside Qatar's appalling human rights record. If it's more important to 'respect' a country for having money, regardless of how they got it, and more important to 'share' the world's tournament, regardless of whether or not that country deserves it or meets the world's standard for civilized behaviour, then I think YOUR priorities are out of whack, not mine.

But, hey, I'd rather just talk about the football. So, again, what have Qatar done to earn the WC, football-wise?

Do you think that there is no English Hooligans? The poeple who throw bananas are plain stupid, but they surrely have mental issues. Would you like that it would be England, Germany France hosting? No come on, give a chance to other , Arabic football is not comparable between English, but I know that there  is some few good players.

And for your information Lodatz, football brings peace around the world. Qatar is a peaceful country, I don't see the problem. Again some fools will criticize, but they will be amazed...

@expertfootball11: Yes, yes I would like it very much if England were hosting it. Or Spain, for that matter. Germany and France both held it fairly recently, and were two of the best tournaments in recent history. I'm over the Moon that Brazil are getting it next, because that is going to be something that will be remembered for 100 years or more, and you know what? I would LOVE it to be in Colombia, or Uruguay. Think of how much that would mean to those nations, who are in just as much need of hope as Qatar, and have a much richer history and impact upon the game.

As for hooligans, well, y'know what? We in England actually DID something about it. That's why, in the last 30 years, hooliganism has been all but stamped out. How about giving it to England, as a reward for doing that, and for having had the best league in the world for the last decade? How about giving it to Spain, who have the greatest national team of all time, and the greatest club side of all time? How about giving it to Uruguay, who held the first one, and thanks to the heroics of Diego Forlan, actually reached a semi for the first time in, what, 50 years?

These are all FANTASTIC reasons to host a World Cup in those countries. The ONLY reason you want the WC in Qatar is because you think it will do the Middle-East some good economically, or politically. It won't. It will simply make the rich Qatari businessmen even richer, and the rest of the people will not see a penny of it.

JUST LIKE SOUTH AFRICA.

As for Russia? With Russia it is rewarding a country whose league are facing ACTUAL PETITIONS TO KICK OUT BLACK AND GAY PLAYERS.

There is no footballing reason to host it there, and all the non-footballing reasons are absolutely bogus, when you look at them.

It was a shameful decision, and I will hold FIFA in shame for it. I feel that anyone with any respect for the game, the tournament, and even world peace should agree with me. If you don't then that's your business, but I sure as hell am not going to be told that I'm a meanie because I don't want to 'give Qatar a chance'. 

Giving oil-rich monarchies with no connection to the game a pat on the back and a chance to get richer is not my idea of 'spreading peace', and it's making a mockery of the tournament which means so much to many many billions around the world. If anyone's being selfish, it's the people who think hosting it in Qatar, to help the Middle East, is a good idea.

^Well there are some disadvantages, of course. Why wouldn't do the World Cup in Australia. Seems that everybody forgot them. They're better at rugby, but still.

That's why when they hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup, it was (rightly) a big deal. ;)

I wish the World Cup was in Australia, we deserve it more than Qatar

-Our weather wouldn't affect the players, because in July, it's not too hot or too cold.
-We have the sufficient stadiums needed to host a World Cup, because we hosted the Olympics in 2000, but also because we host a lot of tournaments yearly, for example: The Australian Open (tennis), A.F.L. , A-League and a lot more.
-Hooligans would not be a problem
-Terrorism would not be a problem (not that it would be in Qatar, just saying)
-We would definitely have the attendance numbers needed for a World Cup
-Our political  system is good, like we have no people protesting about black people or gay people playing in the A-League
-It would be good for the World Cup to get out of Europe/Asia/South America, and into Oceania for the first time
-People think that Australians don't care about football, but there's a lot of passionate football fans here

But whats done is done, if FIFA want to give it to oil dwelling dweebs, who only care about the money in their pockets, then let them! It's just sad that the rest of the world has to suffer from their idiotic mistakes.

@Nanda. I wish too, but did u see our presentation video for Australia? It was diabolical. Julia Gillard was lame as fck, and the kangaroo journey was soo bad~!

@Heisinburg
I know, it was a crap presentation offer. A kangaroo who stole the World Cup trophy? Come on! That was a stupid idea. But hopefully in our lifetime Australia will rightfully host it. And I didn't know that you were from Australia :D