Panini stickers, protests, and Thanksgiving games: Get ready for the Qatar World Cup | Opinion

The first sign that the 2022 World Cup is nearly upon us is the Panini display on the Walgreens counter near the cash register. And no, we’re not talking about the flat toasted sandwich.

When soccer aficionados hear the word Panini, they think of the World Cup sticker-trading ritual that has been going on for five decades all over the world — especially in melting pot cities like Miami.

Every four years since the 1970 World Cup, Italy-based publisher Panini releases World Cup souvenir sticker albums and 670 stickers featuring the players expected to participate in the upcoming tournament as well as elusive foil stickers of the mascot, stadiums, trophy, ball, and team shields.

The 80-page albums sell for $2, and the stickers come in packs of five for $1.25. The release of the stickers each quadrennial sets off a frenzy of sticker swapping and internet trading sites as collectors of all ages go to great lengths to complete their albums.

Eight years ago, thieves in Brazil made off with 300,000 Panini stickers, which sent fans into a panic and made international headlines.

Miami, selected as a 2026 World Cup host city, always ranks near the top among U.S. cities for Panini sticker sales with between five million and 10 million sold during each of the past three World Cups. It’s safe to assume the same will be true for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which kicks off Nov. 20.

Other signs of World Cup fever are the Qatar 2022 t-shirts for sale at Miami International Airport and the following email that landed in my inbox from Fritz & Franz Bierhaus, a popular Coral Gables restaurant known for its soccer watch parties:

“We are getting ready for World Cup 2022! We’re Hiring! We are looking for highly motivated Front of House and Back of House staff to join our team! Chefs. Kitchen Helpers. Bartenders. Bussers. Servers.”

U.S. national team coach Gregg Berhalter is also in the hiring process. He will name his World Cup roster Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a ceremony televised on ESPN2. Inter Miami right back DeAndre Yedlin is expected to be on the squad. He will likely be the only American player with World Cup experience, as he played in the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the U.S. did not qualify for the 2018 Cup in Russia.

It feels mighty strange to be talking about a World Cup in November, in the middle of the NFL and college football season and the start of the NBA and college basketball season. The tournament was moved to winter for the first time because of Qatar’s oppressive climate (even at this time of year, it will be so hot there that the stadiums have outdoor air-conditioning and ventilation under each seat).

The new schedule means American fans can spend their Thanksgiving Day watching football AND futbol. The NFL offers a tripleheader of Bills-Lions, Giants-Cowboys, and Patriots-Vikings.

The World Cup is serving up a Thanksgiving Quadruple Header! By the time you take the first bite of turkey, you could already have devoured four matches!

Switzerland plays Cameroon at 5 a.m., followed by Uruguay (coached by former Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso) vs South Korea at 8 a.m., Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo!) vs Ghana at 11 a.m., and then Brazil vs. Serbia at 2 p.m.

Sidenote: All three U.S. group-stage games vs. Wales (Nov. 21), England (Nov. 25) and Iran (Nov. 29) are at 2 p.m., so a plea to bosses to go easy on employees who seem distracted those three afternoons.

As the world turns its eyes to Qatar for what surely will be a thrilling tournament, FIFA is bracing itself for one of the most controversial World Cups in history. Ever since the tiny desert peninsula was awarded the event in 2010, it has been under scrutiny for its human rights violations and its treatment of low-paid migrant workers who built the stadiums and infrastructure.

Count me among the critics who feel it is a huge mistake holding the world’s biggest sporting event in Qatar, which aside from the other issues has no soccer tradition.

Eight European teams have said their captains will defy FIFA rules and wear heart-shaped armbands to support an anti-discrimination campaign. Australian players recorded a video criticizing Qatar’s human rights record.

Denmark will take a black jersey along with the traditional red in memory of workers who died building tournament structures. Danish sponsor, Hummel sport, posted on Instagram: “Black. The colour of mourning. The perfect colour for Denmark’s third shirt for this year’s World Cup. While we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn’t be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives. We wish to make a statement about Qatar’s human rights record and its treatment of the migrant workers.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, aware of those sentiments, sent a letter last week urging the 32 nations to “let football take center stage.” The letter, signed by Infantino and FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said: “Please, let’s now focus on the football! Do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.

“At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world. One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity.”

And so, despite the protests, soccer will take center stage in less than two weeks. Fans will focus on Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Harry Kane, Vinicius Jr., Kevin De Bruyne, and Christian Pulisic, to name a few. Entire nations will shut down on match days. Watch parties will rock. And on Dec. 18, some team will lift the most coveted sports trophy in the world.

Here’s hoping Qatar pays attention to the criticism amid the fun. And, may all your bellies and Panini albums be full on Thanksgiving.