There are very few sports in the world that have the international reach that soccer does. It is watched and played by every country in the world, irrespective of their economic wealth, surpassing religious, ethnic, and cultural barriers in a way that other sports simply cannot.

This diversity is best displayed during the FIFA World Cup, which is played every four years — the most popular and widely viewed sporting event on the planet. The 2010 World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, for example, drew 3.2 billion spectators; almost half of the world's population. Hosting a World Cup, then, is an honor and a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

In December 2010, 11 countries placed their final bid for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, including the United States. The 22 FIFA Executive Committee members who decided who should have the right to host the prestigious event raised a few eyebrows with their first two picks — Brazil (2014) and Russia (2018) — which were highly scrutinised, but the choice to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup not only caused more people to question their decisions, it caused worldwide outrage, by fans and players alike.

The most blatant example as to why the decision had such a negative reaction is in relation to human rights violations. The Qatari government made it clear that they would not permit any gay people to attend the event, a decision that left people completely dumbfounded. Not only would that strip people of their right to attend the event, it would also reinforce a barrier that has been successfully fought against in many cultures.

It also raises the question; if an athlete who had been selected to play in the World Cup were to come out as gay, would the Qatari government ban him from playing? With more and more athletes coming out as gay, it is not unforeseeable for a situation like this to occur.

Just in case anybody was thinking of trying to negotiate a deal or a compromise, the Qatari government also announced that they would be subjecting visitors to a "medical gay test" in order to prevent homosexual fans from entering any of the Gulf Cooperation States. FIFA tried to ease the concerns of gay rights groups that opposed this absurd decision by stating that there would be a 'zero tolerance' approach toward racial and sexual discrimination in the World Cup. A few days later however, the then president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, told gay fans to "refrain from sexual activities" if they wanted to attend the tournament. So basically what he was saying was that gay people could go to the World Cup, they just couldn't be gay while they were there.

This just highlighted the circus that FIFA had become and the ineptitude of the clown in charge, Sepp Blatter, and may have been the trigger for the recent successful series of FBI investigations, which unearthed countless cases of corruption coursing through the veins of the governing body of world soccer.

Fans have also voiced their concern over the strict alcohol consumption laws in Qatar, which happens to be a dry country, except for a few areas designated only for foreigners. The Qatari government have assured disgruntled fans that there will be restricted areas, closed to citizens of the country, where tourists will be allowed to booze up. This, however, just seems to be a recipe for disaster.

For example, the punishments facing tourists for being drunk in a public place include being deported, fined or even imprisoned. So what are the fans supposed to do? Drink in their designated areas and then sober up in time to make the trip to the stadium?

Players and coaches have also protested against the decision to allow Qatar to host the tournament. The World Cup is traditionally held in the summer off-season, after the players finish their regular club season. The only problem is that the average summer temperature in Qatar sits at a toasty 120 degrees. While some fans might be rubbing their hands together with glee at the thought of topping up their tan in the stands while watching their nation battle it out on the pitch, we must take note of the devastating effect that that heat could have upon the players.

The 1994 World Cup that was held in Mexico should have served as a stark reminder to FIFA, in which players literally collapsed on the pitch. Apparently this factor was not considered when Qatar’s bid was being assessed. Only when Chucho Benitez, an Ecuadorian international player, died in the opening game of the Qatari soccer league in July 2013 did FIFA realize that the temperature might be an issue.

The best solution FIFA has come up with to date is to delay the tournament until the winter, but continental and national soccer federations have pushed back aggressively, arguing that this would disrupt soccer calendars worldwide. Likewise, fans don't seem too keen on the thought of a Christmas World Cup.

Whichever way you look at it, Qatar was clearly a terrible choice by FIFA, especially considering that better suited nations such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States were all in the running to host. Considering FIFA's ever growing reputation for corruption, it is hardly surprising that suspicions of foul play arose.

A member of the Qatar 2022 bidding committee leaked information to the media that showed that three members of FIFA's executive committee received $1.5 million each in return for their backing, hence the subsequent FBI investigation and succession of arrests of top FIFA officials. And those are the ones we know about. It's a shame, but by no means a shock, that FIFA have let a nation buy the right to host the World Cup. That is the only plausible explanation as to why a country whose bid had more holes than a household sieve has been given this privilege.

At the time of writing, Qatar still has the green light to host the 2022 World Cup. A boycott by other countries seems highly unlikely considering the political disadvantages of falling out of favor with the oil rich nation. Qatar will have to opportunity to showcase itself to a worldwide audience, and if by some miracle it turns out to be a success, the country's brand will be greatly improved.

A more likely result, however, is that they inadvertently end up broadcasting all of the problems that people argued were likely to occur; players collapsing in the sweltering heat and fans being discriminated against, which would only serve to embarrass themselves and FIFA for having made such a huge error of judgement.