Gary Lineker has admitted feeling “slightly comfortable” with the way the BBC covered the 2018 World Cup and believes Russia successfully “sportswashed” their image through the tournament.
Lineker made a splash by beginning the BBC ’s coverage of the Qatar World Cup with a monologue addressing the host nation’s human rights record and treatment of LGBTQ+ people. Rather than showing the opening ceremony, the BBC decided to focus instead on allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar’s successful bid and its treatment of migrant workers.
Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup during the same vote as Qatar back in December 2010, which has since seen 17 of the 22 FIFA executive committee members banned or indicted over allegations of corruption and wrongdoing. The country also faced calls to be stripped of the competition following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
