Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The 2022 World Cup gave us one of the greatest finals in football history.
It also exposed the darker side of the tournament: corruption, repression, and thousands of migrant worker deaths.
In Episode 4 of Power Plays, Karim Zidan investigates how Qatar — a tiny Gulf state with almost no football infrastructure at the time of the bid — secured the biggest sporting event on earth, and what followed after.
From billion-dollar stadiums and entire cities rising out of the desert… to fans being promised alcohol and free expression, only for both to be restricted once the tournament began.
And at the center of it all is Abdullah Ibhais, the whistleblower who went from helping shape the World Cup’s image to watching the tournament from prison after speaking out about migrant abuses.
⚽️ A game celebrated by billions came at a devastating human cost, and Episode 4 unpacks it all.
🔗 Listen to Episode 4, out now on all podcast platforms. https://power-plays.captivate.fm/listen
Learn more about our work at the Human Rights Foundation:
Website: hrf.org
X (formerly Twitter): https://X.com/HRF
Instagram: instagram.com/hrf
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hrf
Join us in promoting freedom where it’s most at risk!
Donate today: hrf.org/?form=donate
The 2022 World Cup gave us one of the greatest finals in football history.
It also exposed the darker side of the tournament: corruption, repression, and thousands of migrant worker deaths.
In Episode 4 of Power Plays, Karim Zidan investigates how Qatar — a tiny Gulf state with almost no football infrastructure at the time of the bid — secured the biggest sporting event on earth, and what followed after.
From billion-dollar stadiums and entire cities rising out of the desert… to fans being promised alcohol and free expression, only for both to be restricted once the tournament began.
And at the center of it all is Abdullah Ibhais, the whistleblower who went from helping shape the World Cup’s image to watching the tournament from prison after speaking out about migrant abuses.
⚽️ A game celebrated by billions came at a devastating human cost, and Episode 4 unpacks it all.
🔗 Listen to Episode 4, out now on all podcast platforms. https://power-plays.captivate.fm/listen
Learn more about our work at the Human Rights Foundation:
Website: hrf.org
X (formerly Twitter): https://X.com/HRF
Instagram: instagram.com/hrf
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hrf
Join us in promoting freedom where it’s most at risk!
Donate today: hrf.org/?form=donate
