EDITORIAL: Qatar World Cup is a betrayal to football

Oct 20, 2022 | Editorial

Billions of viewers are expected to watch the world’s most anticipated sporting event set for late fall in Qatar, but what they may not be aware of is the human cost involved in staging the World Cup.

A bid to host the FIFA World Cup in Qatar was selected in 2010. FIFA’s then president Sepp Blatter — a man with a stained reputation for his many corruption scandals — proudly announced Qatar would be the 2022 host. The organization has been in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Justice since then, resulting in the first indictments in 2010 and accusations by the U.S. that Qatar bought the games.

There were immediate concerns from fans and football organizations over Qatar’s lack of participation in the sport throughout history, spotty human rights record as well as their dangerous climate conditions during the summer.

The Middle Eastern nation is by far the smallest nation to ever host a World Cup, three times smaller than the previous record set by Switzerland, with a population of just 2.8 million as of 2020. Questions were raised as to how and when the nation could build so many stadiums by then.

This is when the tournament host became a mass graveyard.

In order to construct seven state of the art stadiums built in and around the capital city of Doha to host the 64 matches, Qatar decided to mass emigrate workers from Third World countries in order to work day and night building these glorious stadiums.

This led to a confirmed 6,500 migrant workers dying, with 38,000 work-related injuries in 2020 alone. This occurred during the rapid construction of stadiums, hotels, an airport, and even an entire city for the World Cup.

The workers came from nations such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Considering official Qatari reports, 15,021 non Qataris died in the country between 2010 and 2019 leading many to suspect the numbers of worker deaths to be higher than what was reported.

Allegedly these workers could have died for several reasons; including poor health, safety regulations, suicide, cardiac arrest and heat stroke caused by weather which often exceeds 50 C in the Gulf.

Although the formerly guilty FIFA president has since been banned from the sport until 2027, the new leaders in charge are simply no different.

Workers walk back to the Al-Wakra Stadium worksite being built for the 2022 World Cup, in Doha, Qatar. Human Rights Watch released on Dec. 22, 2015, a set of guidelines it says construction companies working in the oil-rich Gulf Arab states should follow to ensure basic rights for migrant workers. Qatar in particular has come under intensified scrutiny over its labour practices since winning the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

Workers walk back to the Al-Wakra Stadium worksite being built for the 2022 World Cup, in Doha, Qatar. Human Rights Watch released on Dec. 22, 2015, a set of guidelines it says construction companies working in the oil-rich Gulf Arab states should follow to ensure basic rights for migrant workers. Qatar in particular has come under intensified scrutiny over its labour practices since winning the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. Photo credit: AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File

When asked about the human rights issues and mass deaths in Qatar, current FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the migrant workers gain “dignity and pride” for their hard work.

As the new leader of a stained organization such as FIFA, Infantino’s lack of sympathy is a sign to football fans that money will always be FIFA’s priority, considering Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup was confirmed to have involved millions of dollars in bribery according to multiple reports that corroborated this claim.

The real disappointment for football fans is that players and participating nations have not elected to step down from their place in Qatar.

Every football player’s dream is to be on the pitch at a World Cup, but how valuable is a career accolade achieved with thousands of families mourning the deaths of their loved ones?

In order to counter FIFA’s decision to stand by Qatar, qualified nations should have refused to play in the host nation the moment they heard about the human rights violations.

Football icons such as Eric Cantona and Philipp Lahm have boycotted the upcoming event, criticizing former teammates and their nations for participating in the tournament.

There have been instances where countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Norway have worn shirts with messages before matches to protest human rights violations.

But it’s not enough for change.

Denmark has gone as far as designing an all-black jersey to be worn at the World Cup to honour the migrant workers who died. Denmark’s kit manufacturer Hummel described the jerseys as “a colour of mourning” on their social media.

This may be a statement that raises awareness to viewers who have not heard about the atrocities, but at the end of the day Denmark is still scheduled to face Tunisia on Nov. 22.