Media Monster

Twitter Reaction To Qatar’s World Cup Selection Is Swift And Terrible

As it’s possible you’ve heard, Qatar won the right today to host the 2022 World Cup, beating out the United States to do it. Immediately, heads exploded, and those whose heads didn’t explode seriously questioned the choice. People are still talking about the selection on Twitter, but the best way to gauge the intensity of the reaction is to look at some tweets that went out right when the selection was announced, so let’s get to it.

Washington Post soccer blogger Matt Bonesteel already collected some of the top tweets on the matter, and while him beating us to the punch upsets us almost as much as his last name delights us, it’s still worth looking at some of the reactions that didn’t make the Soccer Insider cut.

Bill Simmons had several enjoyable tweets, one of which made the WaPo post:

Qatar needs to thank its special consultant for the 2022 WC bid: Cam Newton’s father.

Earlier, Simmons shared his more serious thoughts:

And… all the rumors about insane bribes being thrown around to get the 2022 World Cup have been proven correct! Wow.

Spencer Hall of Every Day Should Be Saturday and SB Nation got heavily in on the Qatar-selection-bashing act as well. One of his tweets made Bonesteel’s list, but the following one didn’t, presumably due to concerns over cursing. We have no such concerns:

Oh, this is some bullshit. #Qatar2022

Don’t worry too much, though, Hall says…maybe the 2022 World Cup will still (technically) be in America after all:

Paul Wolfowitz and I think you look fit for a liberatin’, Qatar. #51stStateby2022

The outstanding Esquire writer Chris Jones was none too happy himself, though he predicted Qatar’s victory:

Pretty sure today proves that FIFA is even more corrupt than we’ve ever given them credit for. Fucking Mafia.

And what did U.S.-based players think of the decision? Well, it doesn’t appear they were thrilled, either. Here’s Jozy Altidore:

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Let the record show, however, that he was a pretty classy loser, as he later congratulated Qatar and 2018 winner Russia. We’d tell him to take his anger out on the pitch if the tournament were, you know, not in 12 years. And here’s Robbie Rogers of the Columbus Crew:

Woooowww can’t believe this… So scandalous!!!!

And that about sums up the feelings of a whole lot of people: Qatar’s selection was scandalous. It’s going to take one amazing showing (both in terms of the spectacle itself and in terms of controlling the region’s crushing heat) from the tiny, tiny nation for anyone to think they’re worthy of this. Hopefully they’re up to that challenge, or we’ll be hearing a lot of “I told you so”s on whatever the microblog-ish mechanism of choice is in 12 years.

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