Tag: Vladimir Putin

Qatar would like to thank Putin for his World Cup hosting tips

“I am very happy to see you, Mr. President,” the emir told Putin

In a move that could charitably be called ill-timed, Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani thanked Russian president Vladimir Putin for his help with staging the World Cup at a meeting on Thursday.

Just one month before the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar, the monarch and Putin met at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit, in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Al Thani was full of praise for Putin, whom he said “provided great support to Qatar” in the lead-up to the World Cup.

“After Russia made a great success in organizing the 2018 World Cup, Russian friends have provided great support to Qatar, especially in terms of organization, with the organizing committee of the 2022 World Cup,” the emir said.

“We thank you for this and we are proud of this relationship. This will continue until the end of the World Cup. I am very happy to see you, Mr. President. Thank you.”

Putin, who oversaw Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup, wished Qatar luck in its staging of the 2022 event.

“We are also doing everything we can in terms of transferring the experience of preparing for the World Cup, you know this, we just had the opportunity to talk about it with you,” Putin said. “I would like to wish you success in holding this major event. I’m sure that it will be (a success).”

Russia’s staging of the 2018 World Cup was controversial at the time, in part because of Putin’s crackdown on dissent and his 2014 annexation of Crimea. FIFA’s decision to award Russia that tournament now, of course, has been cast in a much more negative light after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine this year, which has been followed by a bloody war that is showing no signs of ending.

That invasion saw FIFA ban Russia from participation in the 2022 World Cup, among a host of other sanctions from the global governing body and UEFA.

Like Russia, Qatar has been a highly controversial choice to host the World Cup due to the myriad of human rights issues within the country.

For FIFA, the meeting between the two nations on Thursday was a reminder of the countries it’s recently done business with, and photo-op it probably could have done without.

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Doug Baldwin calls out ‘Christians’ who say they support Putin

Seahawks great Doug Baldwin hit the nail on the head.

Some days it’s difficult to focus on football. While we keep it as light as possible here at Seahawks Wire, the last several days have been harrowing for anyone following current events.

The short version: Russian president Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked act of aggression – putting all of Europe at risk for a new world war. So far the Ukrainian people and their President have responded with an incredibly courageous resistance despite being overwhelmed by a far superior military force. Picking sides here should be easy for anyone with a moral compass – especially those who profess to call themselves Christians.

Seahawks great Doug Baldwin hit the nail on the head in a late-night tweet, calling out Christians who support what Putin is doing in Ukraine.

Baldwin may be just speaking in general terms, but it’s possible he’s referring to one specific individual.

Former Republican Delaware Senatorial candidate Lauren Witzke has made the news in recent days for saying she identifies with Putin’s “Christian values” more than President Joe Biden.

History is complicated but we don’t need to both-sides every piece of it. In this case Baldwin is right and Witzke is wrong. Period.

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