I still dont understand why the tournament needs to be there 4 years from now when we are all aware it was awarded through illegal means. If it was a year away, you might have a case of saying it’s too late to change. And then you double down by saying this illegally begotten tournament might not even be able to be played in the summer!!! Just move the damn thing already and I really don’t care where, but not there. Give it to The UK or Spain where the structure exists. (Germany & France were too recent).
Tongue in cheek, but slightly truthful, answer:
But why would a corrupt organisation strip something they awarded to someone else for illegal reasons away from that organisation when they are completely in bed with them?
Somewhat more accurate answer:
There is an increasingly powerful lobby within FIFA politics - which, I should point out, the USSF is arguably part of - consisting of teams from "less traditional" footballing countries; that is to say ones outside of the traditional football bases in Europe and South America, where World Cups would generally only ever be held - consisting of fairly major nations which feel that their size means that they should get more respect within FIFA, or of groups of smaller countries but representing regions which again feel ignored by the more major footballing powers.
When it comes to voting matters, therefore, this lobby is becoming increasingly powerful at arguing, not entirely without logic I will concede, that just because they come from countries where football did not flourish 100 years ago they should not be thought of as second class citizens. These countries are, consequently, particularly interested in encouraging things like WCs to be awarded from countries within their number, on the basis that the more the power shifts in their direction the shorter the time until they might get to host a WC, etc.
For the last couple of decades Blatter was entire in their camp, not least because he realised very early on that as they outnumbered the traditional football lobby they could secure him consecutive elections even if he deliberately acted in ways he knew would alienate the European countries, who consequently very rarely voted for him. Ever since South Africa 2000 Blatter has been trying heavily to push the WC into the farthest corners of the world, and the simple fact is that while Blatter has now gone, the lobby is by no means weakened and it readily supports itself. Stripping the WC from Qatar would be a massive slap in the face to that lobby, and Infantino can't afford that if he wants to keep control of FIFA.
Trust me, people might be a little more circumspect about how they distribute their bribes and how much they offer in future, but World Cups are going to continue to be awarded to countries who look the best in holiday brochures over the ones with the best teams and infrastructure, because Asia and North America (and eventually Africa will start pulling their weight too) want that to happen...
