Football fans are counting down the days until the FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar on 20 November.
The 29-day tournament will see up to 1.5 million people descend on the Gulf state, where matches will be held across eight stadiums.
But ever since football’s biggest competition was awarded to Qatar in 2010, it has been shrouded in controversy. Here Sky News looks at what the issues are.
Corruption allegations
Qatar won the bid for the 2022 Men’s World Cup over the USA by 14 votes to eight.
But given the country’s strict Islamic laws, its questionable human rights record, and searing temperatures, there were immediate corruption concerns over the decision.
Soon after, FIFA commissioned its own investigation into Qatar’s methods, which found “no evidence of any improper activity by the bid team”.
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But one US lawyer, Michael Garcia, whose name was on the report, found that some Qatari conduct “may not have met the standards required by FIFA”.
Qatari businessman Mohamed bin Hammam was on FIFA’s 24-man executive committee from 1996 to 2011, eventually becoming its vice president.
But he was banned from all football-related activity by the FIFA Ethics Committee in 2011.
The ban was later dropped due to a lack of evidence but reinstated over his “conflicts of interest” the following year.
In 2014, The Sunday Times published the ‘FIFA files’, which it claimed revealed how Mr bin Hammam had made dozens of payments totalling more than $5m (£4.32m) to football officials from various countries to sure up Qatar’s bid.
He was said to have exploited his position within FIFA to bribe others into giving his home nation the votes it needed to win the tournament.
Heat
As well as corruption allegations, FIFA also looked into how the extreme heat in Qatar would affect the tournament.
Usually the World Cup happens in the summer, but this would have meant teams playing in temperatures of up to 43C (109F).
In 2015 FIFA said the tournament would instead run from November to December, when conditions would be much cooler – between 26C (79F) and 21C (70F).
It would also be a shorter tournament – lasting for just 29 days instead of the normal 32 – and the newly-built stadiums would have special cooling technology.
The decision to move the tournament to winter was highly controversial with European teams and their leagues threatening to sue over potential match clashes.
Migrant workers
Seven of the eight stadiums being used for the tournament have been built from scratch, with the eighth undergoing major renovation.
The Gulf state’s small population of under three million has meant most people involved in construction have been workers from abroad.
Qatar’s ‘kafala system’ is a set of labour laws which allow Qatari individuals or businesses to confiscate workers’ passports and stop them leaving the country.
Human rights groups say this has given developers free reign to exploit them – exposing them to gruelling working conditions for little pay and not allowing them to go home until projects materialise.
There have been reports of migrant worker deaths that range from a few dozen to several thousand in the 12 years of preparation for the tournament.
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The International Trade Union Confederation puts the figure at 7,000 by the time the tournament starts, while the Qatari authorities say there have been three work-related and 34 non-work-related fatalities in that time.
Among the main causes of death are road accidents, falls from tall structures, exposure to mechanical forces and self-harm.
The Sunday Times has also reported Nepali migrant workers developing long-term kidney disease or dying from the effects of heat exhaustion.
Qatar says its kafala system has been partially dismantled and allegations of human rights abuses are unfair.
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The tournament’s chief executive Nasser al Khater has told Sky News that the reported numbers of worker deaths “do not reflect the reality for construction workers on World Cup sites”.
“We have been unfairly treated… it is publicly available information,” he said.
Qatar organisers have also said: “Protecting the health, safety, security, and dignity of every worker contributing to this World Cup is our priority.”
LGBT rights
Qatar’s Sharia law means same-sex sexual activity has punishments ranging from seven years in jail to death by stoning.
According to the UK official travel advice for Qatar: “Host authorities have stated that ‘everyone is welcome’ at the World Cup.
“They have publicly confirmed there will be no restrictions on non-married friends or couples (including LGBT people) staying in the same room.”
There have still been reports of some same-sex couples being refused bookings at World Cup hotels.
Usually non-married couples also face punishment for engaging in any intimacy.
Qatari officials have said they will not change their laws on the LGBT community, but no visiting fan will be discriminated against at the tournament.
Supporters will be able to wave rainbow flags and hold hands, but whether players can wear rainbow ‘one love’ armbands is a decision for FIFA, Mr Al Khater told Sky News.
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He said: “All we ask is for people to be respectful of the culture.
“At the end of the day, as long as you don’t do anything that harms other people, if you’re not destroying public property, as long as you’re behaving in a way that’s not harmful, then everybody’s welcome and you have nothing to worry about.”
A recent report by Human Rights Watch found that LGBT Qataris were being arbitrarily arrested for their sexuality or gender as recently as September.
It claimed some had been locked in underground prisons and subjected to verbal and physical abuse.
Transgender people said they had been forced into conversion therapy.
High-profile footballers, including members of the England, Wales, and Australia teams – and broadcaster Gary Lineker have voiced their concerns about LGBT people’s rights in Qatar.
Mr Lineker says he knows of two gay footballers who he hopes will come out during the World Cup in protest.
Treatment of women
Under Sharia law, women in Qatar are heavily restricted – and required to obtain permission or be accompanied by a dedicated male guardian – their father, brother or husband – when getting married, studying, working in government jobs, travelling abroad and receiving some kinds of reproductive healthcare.
They do not have primary guardian rights for their children – even if they are divorced and have legal custody.
Within a marriage, a woman can be deemed ‘disobedient’ for not submitting to her husband’s demands.
Foreign nationals must have a similar-style male guardian to obtain visas and need their permission to obtain a driver’s licence and work in the country.
Women are expected to dress modestly, with their shoulders and legs covered, and can be asked to leave premises if not.
Mr Al Khater has said that women will not be stopped from watching the World Cup, adding: “In Qatar, we have no restrictions on women’s access to the stadium. They have been attending matches for a long time.”
Three female referees are presiding over major men’s games for the first time at Qatar 2022.
Alcohol consumption
Usually alcohol consumption is restricted to hotels and bars in Qatar – and other licenced premises for foreign visitors providing they are over 21.
But in order to host the tournament, officials have had to extend licences beyond that – to outside stadiums and in fan zones.
Alcohol will also be on sale inside stadiums for three hours before and one hour after every match – but not during.
In an interview with Sky News, head organiser Mr Al Khater revealed there will be dedicated zones where drunken fans can sober up.
“It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else.”
According to the UK travel advice, rowdy fans could be at risk of getting on the wrong side of the authorities if they are rude.
“Swearing and making rude gestures are considered obscene acts and offenders can be jailed and/or deported,” it says. “Take particular care when dealing with the police and other officials.”
Accommodation
With 1.5 million people expected to travel to the tournament, the Qatar Tourism Authority has said there are only around 33,000 hotel rooms available.
Reports claim private apartments and cruise ships are being made into fan accommodation, but travellers say they have proved difficult to access.
One option being offered, which has been widely slated by fans, is ‘five-star beach camping’.
Tourism officials say the beach cabanas will be of the highest quality.
But as one England fan told Sky News: “I don’t think many fancy camping in a desert, in fact I don’t know anyone that has signed up to that option.”
Some fans are staying in neighbouring Dubai, where laws are less strict for foreign nationals, and travelling to Qatar for each game.
What does Qatar say?
After Australia became the first team to release a group statement criticising Qatar for its poor human rights record, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy said: ”We commend footballers using their platforms to raise awareness for important matters.
“We have committed every effort to ensuring that this World Cup has had a transformative impact on improving lives, especially for those involved in constructing the competition and non-competition venues we’re responsible for.
“Protecting the health, safety, security, and dignity of every worker contributing to this World Cup is our priority.”
