February 23 - British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that hosting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could help to improve attitudes towards homosexuality in the Middle East during an official visit to the Gulf state. [Our note: Well, it's not like Cameron didn't have a rep for spouting crap.]
Qatar was a controversial choice to host the World Cup when the decision was made by FIFA's ruling Executive Committee last December, and homosexuality is outlawed in the country.
During his visit, Cameron spoke of the need for football to be inclusive. "Football is for everybody - no one should be excluded on the basis of their race or religion or sexuality," he said. "I am sure that will be the case when the World Cup comes here [Our note: So he is sure another country will not apply its own laws].
"Football can be a great engine for social change and a change of attitudes - we saw in our own country how football drove racism out of the stands. [Our note: Really? Has this happened? And if it has, was it "football" that drove out racism, or advocacy groups who shamed football into taking action? ]
"Just as that has happened, so too, we need to make sure that there is no place for homophobia in football." [Our note: By holding the premier football event in an officially homophobic country.]
The Prime Minister was speaking alongside his Qatari counterpart Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani, and congratulated him on Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 competition, describing it as "very persuasive." [Slipping a twenty to the maître d' can be very persuasive.]
Al Thani said that he was relieved not to have been directly asked about homosexuality as he said that was "less embarrassing to me," and made the admission that he did not know the rules of football. [Our note: We certainly move the cause of the fight against homophobia in Arab countries forward by avoiding raising the issue with the homophobes.]
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