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Another year, another chance to reflect on what to wish for in 2023 and beyond. It’s easy to get cynical and assume things will never change (or at least not for the better). And, indeed, some things take a long time to come to fruition. And some never do. Which is why if you look at my past wishes you’ll see some things coming up time and again.
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But when you care about this sport and its community — from fans to players — you can’t help but want to continue to wish.
Gab’s wishes from: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014
1. That we don’t forget how we got to Qatar 2022 (and Russia 2018): via a corruptible mechanism of favors, bribes and political interference. And we learn lessons from it. No, I’m not just pointing the finger at Qatar and Russia; most of the bidders — including those who often pretend to be squeaky-clean, like Australia, England and the United States — also engaged in highly dubious ethical behavior. It’s all there in the Garcia report and it’s not a coincidence that more than half the people who chose the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts were later banned or indicted. FIFA has reformed the mechanism for choosing World Cup hosts — no longer a committee of 25, but all 211 member associations vote — and, on paper, it should make the process harder to rig. But we need vigilance and transparency as well, otherwise we’ll always be vulnerable.
2. That no country the size of Qatar ever be allowed to host a World Cup on its own ever again, because the tournament should be about bringing football to as many fans as possible and leave the greatest possible legacy. I know some people liked the whole “compact World Cup” thing and having eight venues within an hour’s drive. I didn’t. It’s not a knock on Qatar and, in a perfect world, it would have shared this with other countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, maybe Iran and Oman too….
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