'Sportswashing' highlights long list of concerns heading into Qatar World Cup

Qatar's decision to launch itself into hosting the 2022 World Cup was a head-scratcher from the start. Why, some wondered, would a Middle Eastern kingdom with fewer than 3 million people and little soccer tradition want to host the sport's biggest event?

Skeptics say the country wanted to use the prestige of the World Cup, which starts Sunday, to remake its image as an oil producer with few international connections and a shaky human-rights record.

They viewed the move, which will cost the country some $220 billion US, as a classic case of "sportswashing" — using sports as a forum to cast a country or company as different than many people perceive.

"The Qatar World Cup kickstarted discussion about sportswashing and human rights in football and it has been very steep learning curve for us all," Norway soccer federation president Lise Klaveness said at a recent Council of Europe event.

"There are criteria that have to be kept to, and then it would be better not to award to such states," Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser said last month in a move that sparked diplomatic tensions.

Qatar's leader, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has fought back, saying the country "has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced."

The World Cup is just one way Qatar is using its massive wealth to project influence. By buying sports teams and hosting high-profile events, Qatar has been integrating itself into international finance and a network of support.

Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) of Ligue 1 is owned by the emir of Qatar. His 2011 purchase came a year after Qatar won the right to host the World Cup. For many, it felt like it was scripted to show that the country has soccer bona fides. Some of PSG's