180 Amsterdam juggles politics as well as the ball for Qatar Airways and Barcelona

180 Amsterdam has produced this chirpy number hymning Qatar Airways and its tie-up with FC Barcelona (Qatar Airways is Barca’s first shirt sponsor). It shows the lads – Messi and co. – on their holidays.

Gas-rich Qatar is the controversial choice for the 2022 World Cup of course, a bizarre one in that temperatures in the Gulf state are in the 40s there at usual World Cup time. So it will probably have to be moved to their ‘winter,’ thereby mucking up the European club season.

This follows on from the choice of Russia to host the 2018 competition. FIFA sure knows how to pick ’em.

Qatar is also getting it in the neck for its human rights record – or lack of one – and the fatalities and casualties among immigrant workers on its numerous construction sites, including World Cup football stadia. Which has led to rumours that Barcelona, a left wing football club owned by its supporters (believe it or not) may dump sponsor Qatar Airways.

So booting this particular ball around must have been a somewhat delicate matter for 180.

But an ad’s an ad. MAA creative scale:4.