Last week, Sepp Blatter provided insightful counsel to homosexuals planning on attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to the FIFA boss, to avoid the country’s austere and bucolic prohibition of their orientation, they should simply refrain from “sexual activity”. Perhaps ol’ Sepp, fearing he had not made an arse out of himself for quite some time, deemed it prudent to remind the public consciousness that, not only is he completely unfit for the responsibility of governing the world’s most comprehensive sporting organization, but it is plausible that his antique circle of friends refuse to allow him arrange their weekly game of bridge. His cavalier remarks, as does most ignorant comments regarding oppressed segments of society, reasonably incited a fervent response from activist groups and rights leaders.

Except for a massive campaign against racism, FIFA has purposefully kept political issues at arm distance. This has been charter to their organization since it’s inception because they feel that it interferes with the spread and inclusionary morals of the game. Blatter once again affirms this stance in his original comments. In fact, FIFA takes a position against the influence of politics in it’s policies to the extent that any country’s government that interferes with the operation of it’s football association gets quickly and efficiently banned from FIFA tournaments and activities.

In this regard, the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar was always going to be controversial. It would be fair to say that many in western society are not familiar, or comfortable, with the customs and laws of a Muslim nation. However, avoiding the recognition of governmental policy with a culture mesh of this caliber has not been a task FIFA is capable of following through on. In an astute concession by the host nation, some of these trepidations have been mitigated by the temporary acquiescence of such laws. The most publicized example regards the consumption of alcohol. While illegal for citizens, the Qatari government has promised to relax it’s regulations for foreigners while the finals take place. Without such a compromise (and it’s inclusion of ad-dollars and/or bribery), Qatar may not have been able to garner the votes necessary to land the prestigious World Cup finals in the first place. Yet, according to the bureau chief, that has nothing to do with it.

“We have to go with our game somewhere where it can improve social cultural impact,”

Blatter told a news conference in justification of the decision.

Just to understand: In this case, improving social cultural impact equals teaching (or forcing) Muslims to be tolerant of foreigners getting shit-faced in their backyard?

Qatar, as conditioned in their successful 2022 World Cup bid campaign, altered a core value and a governmental law to accommodate a western idea of leisure time (alocohol consumption). They did not see fit, nor did FIFA require or ask, to amend a basic human-rights violation. When confronted with the issue, he could have publicly denounced the practice of criminalizing homosexuality. He could have expressed that it his hope that the Qatari government will come around on this issue to position itself at the forefront of middle-eastern nations providing equal treatment to all it’s citizens. Instead, the head (and face) of the organization treats the issue with extreme insensitivity.

Shouldn’t the point of the World Cup be to accept diverse belief systems and ways of life? Yes. Hosting a World Cup in Qatar can accomplish that. The message gets lost, however, when the captain delinquent delivers his hackneyed positions in so blasé a manner. To Blatter, it’s a joke. Watch the video below! This man has no fear. As Huey Freeman (from the Boondocks) would articulate, he is old, white and rich. He is unassailable.

He has the power to make a difference.

Says gay rights activist John Amaechi, a former NBA player, in this enlightening interview. According to Amaechi, leaders with paramount power, influence and reach are also touchstones of behavior. His argument is that Blatter and his cronies at FIFA represent outdated power brokers still clamoring to their old institutional exclusionary ways. And when they act in a certain manner, they endorse it. Observers see that behavior legitimized by the upper echelons of society and they feel it is ok to replicate. Remember, the range of observers to whom Sepp Blatter has the public profile to communicate with is a wide segment of all age, ethnic and societal groups.

If you’re thinking that many of us make off-color jokes that would garner an equal or worse reception, consider the following context applied to Mr. Blatter’s press conference. In our country, the topical dialogue is same-sex marriage. In countries such as Qatar, the debate is same-sex EXECUTION. Qatar was recently one of 79 countries to vote FOR an amendment that would remove sexual orientation from a resolution defining “extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary” executions at the United Nations. To be fair, it is my understanding that execution is not a penalty applied to homosexuals in Qatar itself. Nonetheless, their vote sanctions homosexuality as an executable offense under international law. Most would agree that the right to life is a basic human principle, no matter one’s stance on same-sex marriage.

Several days later, Blatter issued a canned public apology. Unfortunately, it seems that is all one can expect as a resolution to the now-diffused situation. To activists like Amaechi and Herman Ouseley, chairman of a campaign that promotes inclusion and equality in football, this may seem like a trivial retort. Because it is their life struggle, no diffusion exists. In one manner, nevertheless, Blatter accidentally gave their plight a substantial support. Unaware were many (including this observer), of the UN resolution in which Qatar (as well as South Africa) favored removal. Exposure is often an elusive and expensive weapon for those fighting for progressive causes. If there is a consolation, it is that some measure of awareness was spread to millions.

That being said, according to Ouseley, whose campaign is call Kick It Out, we should be able to expect better from someone in Blatter’s position. Although Mr. Ouseley seems like a reasonable human being, he hasn’t yet readjusted his expectation level to allow for the fact that it is Blatter in Blatter’s position. We should be able to expect better, but with Sepp Blatter continually failing to recognize his responsibility, we obviously can’t.