Football's Not Coming Home, Maybe that's a Good Thing ?

Just as expected the World Cup had us on the edge of our seats with its nail biting action and drama, but this tournament was different. With brilliant hosting that showcased and celebrated Muslim culture, Qatar captured our hearts like never before. For once it felt like we were seen, on and off the pitch. From British fans with St George themed thobes to hijabi stewards aplenty, we saw a truly unique atmosphere of tolerance and respect - and not a drop of booze in sight. Even sat here in England, it was an unforgettable experience to witness.

Yet sadly, the joy that fans across the world felt was tainted by a deeply Islamophobic (and frankly racist) undertone to much of the reporting. I'm not talking about the Dutch TV Channel that compared Moroccan players celebrating with their mothers to monkeys, the abuse black French players have faced for missing penalties or the faux-outrage at Messi wearing a traditional Arab bisht-robe, that sort of racism is clear for everyone to see.

I'm more concerned about the more subtle racism that we saw from people and places I never expected. Instead of celebrating the safety and smoothness of this world cup, we saw our very own media and celebrity pundits engage in unprecedented levels of navel gazing, wreaking of an all too familiar colonial arrogance.

The BBC refused to show the opening ceremony, instead we got a morally hollow lecture about migrant rights. I say hollow because any other day of the week, I'd welcome prime time focus on the plight of undocumented workers, refugees and asylum seekers. Struggling for the most oppressed in any society has been my life's purpose. But this was not that. This was hollow.?

I wonder if it struck the producers as strange that they were trying to convince us they cared about migrants, while dozens of migrants are drowning in the English channel. It seems bizarre that the same politicians criticising Qatar for their human rights records are lock in step with our Home Secretary who dreams about deporting refugees to a random African nation. The irony has not been lost on us.

Then we had the barmy-armband-army. Was it really all about One Love? Where was the One Love when Ozil was shut down for raising awareness of the Uighur plight? Where was the One Love when Zionist-lobby groups tried to get Leicester City Football players sacked for flying the Palestine flag? Where's the One Love as our country sells billions of pounds of weapons to Israel or Saudi Arabia? It was never about the LGBT. It’s much deeper and much more sinister and our media and government take us for mugs to think we can't see the political ploys at play.

It seemed like no matter what good Qatar did, for many, it was never enough. The truth is though, for many, nothing will ever be enough. The hate runs deep. No country in the world is perfect - Qatar has lot to work on, especially with issues around financial inequality, worker rights and race relations but rather than celebrate what Qatar got right, we saw a string of racist-imperialist-driven criticisms and selective outrage.

So maybe it's better that Football isn't coming home this year, at least not yet. Maybe what we need is a good dose of honesty and self-reflection, something Qatari officials were ready to do themselves. Britain needs to find the courage to face up to the brutal legacy our country's colonial past and address the sense of entitlement that festers in our society. Maybe then we might be worthy enough to call football home.

Until then let's bring the spirit of Qatar 2022 back to England with us - its hospitality, its commitment to grow and its celebration of cultures.?If we can do that, then maybe Football will come home sooner than we might think

Adeem Younis