The £100m Qatar whitewash: how UK advertisers put profit before protest

Like the players, brands have in the end shied away from confrontation with the hosts during the World Cup

More than 100m will be spent by brands hoping to cash-in on World Cup fever, but when it comes to taking host Qatar to task over its human rights record protest marketing has taken a back seat to sales targets.

In the run-up to kick off of the football tournament in Qatar criticism of the gulf state was akin to shooting at an open goal.