World Cup Set Apart by Bid and Rights Controversies, Football Legend Says
Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker joins Emma Barnett meets... to discuss the FIFA scandal and human rights concerns raised by the Qatar tournament.
Emma Barnett Meets...: Gary Lineker on the Qatar World Cup, David Beckham and Speaking Out
Former England player Gary Lineker said the 2022 World Cup is uniquely controversial, in part because of longstanding allegations of corruption in the bid process, but also because of human rights issues raised by its location in Qatar.
Lineker, host of BBC’s Match of the Day, is one of the most famous faces in English football and will be leading the network’s coverage of the tournament, the first time it’s been held in an Arab nation. In an interview with Emma Barnett, Lineker said each World Cup brings its own controversy, from riots in Brazil over excessive public spending in 2014 to Russia’s continuing occupation of Crimea as it hosted the 2018 tournament.