Sportswashing works on the principle that the grander the illusion, the more immune it is to criticism.By turning the summer World Cup into a winter World Cup, Fifa have done the unthinkable heretofore, all to appease the House of Thani, Qatar's ruling family that rose to power as Ottoman and then British influence waned in the Middle East.The emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, holds executive power. Commander-in-chief of the army, he appoints the judges and the prime minister. Sheikh Tamim also pays Lionel Messi's €41 million salary at Paris Saint Germain.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2022/11/19/how-qatar-secured-the-2022-fifa-world-cup/

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