Ahili club, ideas, ethics, strategies, plans, didn't contradict with the idea of revolution. Football fan groups were a part of the collective of people who mobilized in places like Tahrir Square or Pearl Roundabout and Bahrain. Abdullah: I don't think it's been helpful that so much of these critiques relied on very borderline orientalist kind of narratives. He says there are serious questions that need to be taken on without any equivocating.
Soccer is sometimes called “the second religion of the Arab World,” and Qatar is the region’s first country to host the World Cup. But FIFA’s pick of the desert nation comes with boundless controversy.
This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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