Vivika Sahajpal
Globally, the World Cup stands as a quadrennial chance for national pride and aspiration; a chance for recognition for each country and an event that has always had the ability to unite football fans across the divisions of their national leagues. Fans of rival teams come together to cheer for their country in a show of national solidarity. Typically, in England, the World Cup fills every pub, beer garden and venue that has a television with chanting and cheering. This year is different. Alongside the subdued atmosphere a winter World Cup is bringing, the dark cloud of Qatar hosting the World Cup overshadowed the usual excitement in the months and weeks leading up to it. Vivika Sahajpal discusses.
FIFA and Qatar
Looking back on the 118 years of its history, accusations of FIFA’s corruption have infiltrated countless aspects of the organisation, with an emphasis on the World Cups and those in control of it.
From bribes to exploitation, the way FIFA organises the World Cup has called the ethics and legality of its leadership into question, leading to both investigations and public criticism. The nature of the bidding for the World Cup essentially caters to rich countries with a lack of democracy.
The Economist found this notion has spiked since 2012 with 37% of international sporting events having been hosted in autocracies compared to only 15% between 1989 and 2012. A notable one of these was the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which was also embroiled in scandal. Forbes names Qatar one of the richest countries per capita in the world and its monarchal political structure aids the ease of organisation of the event and the bid immensely.
At the end of the day, it all came down to the money, as is the way with FIFA
At a glance, Qatar winning the bid seemed incredibly unlikely; as a country that had never even qualified for the World Cup before, their ability to host seemed questionable. At the end of the day, it all came down to the money, as is the way with FIFA.
Forbes estimated that Qatar has spent an astonishing $220 billion on preparation for the World Cup since they won the bid in 2010, with around an estimated $200 million in public funds being spent on the initial bid and any private funds that were spent, of course, remaining untraceable. This, combined with the suspected calling in of favours and bribes, led to the 2022 Qatari World Cup.
The Guardian has reported a shocking 6500 migrant worker deaths since Qatar won their bid
A significant amount of this money went towards the building of seven extravagant stadiums with features like mass air conditioning to cool the pitch. The way these stadiums were built opens up a more sinister side to the preparation. The majority of the workforce for the World Cup projects were migrant workers who were treated terribly with little regard for their safety or wellbeing. The Guardian has reported a shocking 6500 migrant worker deaths since Qatar won their bid. Once these figures were made accessible to the public, the uneasiness around the World Cup began to creep through the football community.
The world’s reaction
Whilst, of course, infrastructure is important for any sporting event, it is the fans and the players that make it what it is and it’s their actions that shape the game. Fans are outraged at the extreme human rights violations with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook full of comments, posts, and cartoons shedding light on the dark side of this World Cup and the powers behind it.
Alongside this, fans were vocal in their reactions to the ban on rainbow merchandise that players and fans alike wanted to use to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community in a country that outlaws their existence.
Many teams have used the World Cup to make political statements in reference to Qatar – or otherwise
These reactions aren’t just amongst the fans but are shared amongst various teams around the world too. Many teams have used the World Cup to make political statements in reference to Qatar – or otherwise – which is an important step for unity over human rights amongst rivals.
Australia made a video with 16 players criticising Qatar’s human rights record; the Football Association of Wales (FAW) caused FIFA to change the rules and allow rainbow merchandise; nine countries planned to wear the OneLove armband; Iranian players refused to sing their national anthem to protest their country’s government; England players took the knee to support anti-racism; Germany covered their mouths in their team photo as a commentary of freedom speech and the initial banning of the armbands. These are only some of the political demonstrations that occurred in protest on the global stage of the World Cup.
The future
The 2022 World Cup has been riddled with accusations of atrocity and corruption, but has led to a demonstration of unity and solidarity between nations. The deaths of the migrant workers are not only on the hands of the Qatari authorities but on the hands of the organisation that allowed this type of World Cup to occur.
Another cycle of widely reported corruption, human rights violations, and scandal have been allowed to dominate a sport and event that defines a major part of the culture of many countries
The disquiet that has surrounded previous controversial World Cups has turned into outrage as yet another cycle of widely reported corruption, human rights violations, and scandal have been allowed to dominate a sport and event that defines a major part of the culture of many countries.
The protests have led to minor changes in policies from FIFA and whilst it is not enough, it’s still made a difference. What they have managed to do is shed light on human rights issues and show FIFA and those in charge, that the fans and players will not stand for it. The reaction to the 2022 World Cup shows that there is hope: hope for accountability and hope for change.
Vivika Sahajpal
Featured image courtesy of Markus Spiske via Unsplash. Image use license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @bbcnews via Instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @bbcnews via Instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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