World Cup kicks off despite controversies: Thousands of Israelis will use direct flights to Doha

Today in the early evening the controversial World Cup will kick off despite everything, in the opening match between Ecuador and the host Qatar, at Al-Bayt Stadium in the city of Al-Khor.
The decision to host the 2022 World Cup already in 2010, along with that of 2018, created a cauldron of intrigue and deals behind the scenes.
A huge amount of fans from around the world are expected to come to the tournament, but Qatar does not have enough hotel rooms, which has increased the price of the existing ones. The organizers thought of several possible solutions: three luxury ships were built with a huge investment, and before they become vacation ships, they will first of all be used as floating hotels off the coast of Qatar, ones that can accommodate thousands of fans; A fan village with small huts was established near the airport, as were simpler tent complexes; Residents of the country were urged to rent out their homes (and would receive a bonus from the government if they did so); And finally, many neighbors offered fans to come to them and travel from there to the games.
The situation of Israeli fans is different than that of visitors from other parts of the world. There are no diplomatic relations between the countries, but like any host, Qatar is committed to admitting all visitors without discrimination. This means that tens of thousands of Israelis will come to the game, thanks to the "Hiya" fan card that will serve as a temporary entry for the World Cup period. In addition, a temporary Israeli consular representation will operate in Doha during the tournament, to take care of the fans in blue and white, and direct flights will take off from Israel to Qatar.
This is a dangerous area, a country where Israelis are not allowed to enter on a daily basis, and therefore the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a campaign that makes it clear that caution is necessary, in which it is stated, among other things, that it is advisable to humble the Israeli symbols for the sake of personal security. The fear is of entanglement with the local law authorities due to inappropriate behavior such as drug use or drunken drinking, as well as friction with the crowds of Iranians who will come to the tournament, and for this reason the Foreign Ministry recommends entering with an Israeli passport and not a foreign passport, because the authorities will not allow Israel to assist a person who enters with a passport of another country.
Those tourists, as mentioned, will have to be careful of Qatar's strict laws, for example regarding alcohol. In a normal World Cup, the beer flows in the streets 24 hours a day, but this time the spirits will be limited to the fans' complexes and the licensed bars, the drunks will be sent to a designated area where they can sober up, and anyway it will not be easy to get a head because the alcohol in Qatar is considered the most expensive in the world, something in the area of ​​NIS 40 per bottle of beer.
Qatar spared no means to this end, and two prominent forces were used to win hosting: First, a warm relationship was established with Michel Platini, the former French star who at the time served as the president of UEFA, the European soccer confederation. About two weeks before the vote, an infamous tripartite meeting was even held between Platini, president France at the time, Nicolas Sarkozy and Tamim al-Thani, now the emir of Qatar. Sarkozy, a fan of Paris Saint-Germain, wanted to promote the purchase of the team by the Qataris, and strengthen economic ties with the rich oil principality. Platini admitted that he knew Sarkozy wanted him to vote for Qatar, but that he was not required to do so. Still, the one who served as FIFA president at the time, Sepp Blatter, said that after that meeting Platini informed him that he would change his vote from the USA to Qatar.
Qatar is very rich. The ruling family is the third most valuable in the world. That's why it could have guaranteed mountains and hills, building infrastructure from scratch in 12 years at eye-popping and limitless amounts. According to claims in the British media, in addition to FIFA, it also offered a side payment of close to a billion dollars through its media arm, Al Jazeera, under the pretext of an inflated broadcast rights contract.
And so the most expensive sporting event in history was created. by a large margin. To date, that Winter Olympics in Sochi was the most invested of all - 51 billion dollars - and the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil led the list among World Cups with a budget of 14 billion. Qatar emulates all previous records with a budget of 222 billion dollars!
According to an investigation by the British "Guardian", 6,500 workers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal died during the construction of the infrastructure for the tournament. It's a number that turns your stomach with nausea. These workers, who had to provide for the family at home, lived in slave conditions, were required to work long hours in heat approaching 50 degrees and without proper safety rules, and paid with their lives. The numbers shocked the world, in Qatar it was claimed that they were inflated and that those who were killed died under natural circumstances, and even a supposed reform passed in the principality did not change the reality that the workers are in reality hostages to employers who hold their passports and control their fate.