Richard Keys comes out with predictably stupid pro-Qatar take on the heatwave

Simon Lloyd

It was just banter

It is hot.

Very, very hot. So hot, in fact, the UK could soon see its hottest day in history, with temperatures forecast to top 40C this week.

Those kind of temperatures make doing literally anything hard work – let alone trying to play in a World Cup finals.

And that was the thinking when FIFA decided to move the 2022 World Cup. Awarded to Qatar 12 years ago, it was later decided that the promise of air-cooling technology in the stadiums would not be enough, and that the entire tournament was to be moved from the height of summer to November, where players probably wouldn’t spontaneously combust mid-game.

Step forward Richard Keys.

To the surprise of literally no one, Keys, who is employed by Qatar’s beIN Sports, was eager to point out that it was a good thing that England hadn’t been chosen as hosts for this year’s World Cup.

It was, as the laughing face emojis on the end showed, just banter™.

But, as people pointed out in the comments, it did overlook a few points:

There is a major football tournament taking place in England at this very moment.
The high temperatures are caused by a temporary heatwave, therefore not comparable to the routinely sweltering conditions in Qatar at this time of year.
Most World Cups tend to have finished by the middle of July.
Had the World Cup been hosted by England, or plenty of other nations, lots of people may not have died in making sure it was ready in time.

I know. All those British builders working in this heat for 12 hours a day for £10, one day off a week and living in shit conditions. The conditions between here and Qatar are so comparable. 🤔

— 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿ѕтєνє тнσмαѕ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@stevedthomas) July 18, 2022

https://twitter.com/CoraMcNabb/status/1549004589726416897

These conditions are an outlier. Literally unprecedented.

— Mark🇪🇺 (@BurnMarks1962) July 18, 2022

2 days. Compared with the whole comp in Qatar.

— Sid (@Sidneykidney4) July 18, 2022

Some suggested Keys was ‘trying to justify’ the World Cup taking place in Qatar, despite the criticism the tournament has received. A ridiculous suggestion, for a man whose current Twitter header image is currently this: