Last month (or year to be precise), the FIFA World Cup ended with the most entertaining final in the sport’s history. Argentina finally lifted the coveted prize after a six-goal thriller against France, capping off a month of ‘soccer’ the world may never forget.

While the South Americans won on the pitch, it was the Gulf state of Qatar that emerged as real winners, defying years of scrutiny and political pressure to stage the most impressive tournament to date. The results spoke louder than any voice could; it was the highest-scoring World Cup in history and also marked the best-ever run from an Asian or African side, solidifying the sport’s case against diversity quotas or affirmative action.

Despite those feats, the World Cup’s biggest achievement was that it shielded viewers from the usual Woke cudgeling seen at most global events. Before the first ball was even kicked, Qatar was flooded with demands for LGBT colours to be displayed at matches – an issue that almost perfectly sums up 2022. Because why wouldn’t there be sexual propaganda at a sporting event?

Despite mounting pressure, the hosts stood firm and banned any use of Pride insignia on their home soil, stirring rage among mainstream journalists and Twitter activists. For once, a football tournament would be all about … football. The shock was real.

Qatar’s decision was hastily put down to their deep religious influence, yet that’s more of a lazy assumption than a sensible observation by the media. It seems lost on them that China, North Korea, and other secular regimes share the same hostility towards LGBT promotional material on the field. In fact, many progressive states around Europe are slowly reversing their commitment to gender ideology too. Religion doesn’t explain the divide here.

A closer guess is that the moral decay of Western society has already given foreign regimes enough reasons to reject our values. They simply don’t want to be like us and we can hardly blame them. Our progressive leaders have gagged all criticism of even the most extreme activism as if they already know it won’t hold up to scrutiny. Was that supposed to convince Qatar of how rational our ideas were?

As added hope, the World Cup showed us that even oppressive dictators have a moral threshold. Arab rulers force women under layers of thick clothing in extreme humidity. They’ve even waged violent wars and been accused of enslaving migrants to build their stadiums, yet exposing children to the world of sexually-charged adult stage performances is considered a bridge too far.

When ideas are too repulsive for Qatar, the Left may need to rethink their stance for a moment.

The controversy surrounding the World Cup could have served as a catalyst for such reflection. Instead, a number of teams doubled down and protested Qatar’s rainbow ban (because multiculturalism needn’t be practiced by those preaching it). The English knelt before every match, the Socceroos aired a cringe video on social media, and the Germans decided to go out early for the second time in a row. They were hardly missed.

As expected, the teams that arrived with political intentions had nothing to say on the pitch; their game was dreadfully void of any lasting quality. As if the name ‘Harry’ hadn’t caused enough agony for the Brits, their star player and captain missed a decisive penalty in the dying minutes of the quarter-final. It’s moments like those where every bit of preparation makes a difference. He might come to grieve the time wasted on flaunting his political affinity.

In the end, the World Cup was a spectacle to behold in its own right. Record goals, legend-defining moments, underdog runs, and finely choreographed ceremonies made it an all-round success. Credit needs to go where it’s due – Qatar showed the rest of the world how football ought to be played and what’s possible when you say no to Woke.

Of course, that’s not to excuse their horrendous human rights record and FIFA’s blatantly monetised host selection process. Most of the grievances leveraged at Qatar had merit – sporting events should never be played in societies where discrimination and authoritarian rule are part of everyday life.

That’s a deaf plea since football’s next tournament will be played in the West, under the dictates of our own benevolent rulers. Let’s hope their suppression of religious liberties and free speech is met with the same furor when Germany hosts the 2024 European Championship.