Ignoring FIFA: The Secret of Omelas

In Ursula Le Guins The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, a frail child is chained
and incarcerated beneath the jovial city of Omelas, forced to eat citizens trash and left to
live in darkness covered in his own excrement. What is the reason for the childs
punishment? There is none. The gross appeal of Le Guins story exists in its mystery:
What will happen to the town of Omelas if the child is set free? Instead of discovering,
those who cannot witness the injustice choose to walk away from the town of Omelas.
This haunting tale serves as a suitable metaphor for FIFA and the 2014 World Cup.
The Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is a non-profit
organization worth more than $1.4 billion, which FIFA President Sepp Blatter was quick
to point out on Al Jazeera functions as a reserve. If this statement seems contentious, it
is an embodiment of what FIFA represents: controversy. Social media platforms erupted
this week after John Oliver of HBOs Last Week Tonight unleashed a relentless tirade
highlighting the atrocities that FIFA and the Brazilian Government continues to commit
against millions of Brazilian citizens.
Riotous citizens have exploded throughout Brazil, urging the government to aid its
citizens adopting a poignant slogan: Need Food, Not Football. This phrase has been
etched on the sides of buildings, across pavement streets, and on the homes of outraged
citizens. The graffiti movement highlights the desperation with which Brazilian citizens
beg to be heard. These kinds of global injustices must not be allowed to continue.
However as if the FIFA scandal isnt enough, Qatar, a modern slave state whose
citizens must request a visa from their work-master in order to leave the country, is
slotted to host the 2022 World Cup. At the time of its selection, Qatar did not have a
single soccer stadium to its name. As if this fact isnt reason enough to deem it as a
location unfit to host the World Cup, the average summer temperature in Qatar is 122*
Fahrenheit. These temperatures are not suitable for a swimming meet, let alone ninety
minutes of professional soccer.
Qatars selection ignited mass upheaval amongst various countries whose
representatives vied for a chance to host the World Cup most notably, Australian
Football Federation chairman Frank Lowy. Essentially, Lowy requested a refund of some
$40 million after sensing that the 2022 World Cup Qatar selection was less than fair. It is
believed that FIFA President Sepp Blatter accepted large sums of money from the oil-rich
nation in exchange for the bid. With the prospect of a 2022 World Cup in Qatar comes a
feeling of unrest and injustice.
I request that anyone who feels that these injustices must not continue joins me in a
national boycott of this summers World Cup. If this fails to get the attention of FIFA, the
boycott must continue through the refusal to purchase FIFA Soccer videogames (some of
the highest grossing videogames in history). Until the injustices cease, the boycott should
last through the coming years and up until the next World Cup in 2018.
I implore that someone see this article and voice your feelings. I do not have a voice
that will reach millions, but perhaps someone who will read this does. Robert Frost
asked, How many things must happen to you before something occurs to you? Let this
be your mindset. Wake up and witness the injustices that FIFA has committed. Let your
voice be heard.