This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

Improper motive doesn’t make him wrong. by NDMike2001

Not regarding the underlying point…which is the manipulation of the sport (and market) for “sport washing” and the like. Obviously a country has an inherent reason to support its domestic league(s) and teams’ places in world soccer. And while hypocritical, his motivation is both obvious and arguably appropriate.

But Qatar isn’t investing in teams because the advertising is boosting air travel, and they obviously aren’t supporting their domestic leagues to bring revenue into their country. I suppose we can argue the degree of impact but if you can’t stipulate to their underlying motives then there’s no point in furthering the discussion.

And even if one were to disregard the ethical issues involved, there can be no dispute that there is an inherent danger in the influence of petrodollars in markets by entities that really have little to no vested interest in sustainability of the domestic leagues and teams themselves.