Controversies in Qatar
The 2022 FIFA World Cup, one of the world’s biggest sporting events where 32 countries’ national soccer teams compete, began this past November and concluded in December. The tournament was hosted by Qatar, marking the first time in history that the exciting event was held in the Arab and Muslim world. In the World Cup final on Dec. 18, Lionel Messi and Argentina were crowned champions after defeating France. However, many of the biggest storylines of the tournament involved the human rights abuses that occurred off the pitch.
The World Cup was only possible in the first place because of migrant workers from countries like India, Nepal and Bangladesh, who played an integral role as they helped construct the eight new stadiums built for the tournament, hotels, airports and other infrastructure (Cable News Network). Many of these migrant workers died due to injuries and harsh working conditions. According to Human Rights Watch, in the 10 years following 2010, when Qatar was awarded rights to the 2022 World Cup, around 15,021 migrant workers died. Critics have claimed that Qatar authorities have collected a significant amount of further data on this issue, but do not want to share it with the public due to fear of outrage. Many families from India have not been able to understand why their family members simply died due to “natural causes” (The Guardian). Senior Allie Dzida expresses disappointment with the minimal concern and attention that families got from FIFA officials.
“The deaths of the stadium workers are really devastating to their families,” Dzida said. “It is wrong to see how many people died with little recognition and the ambassadors should take this issue seriously. These workers are incredibly important and fueled the ability for the World Cup to take place.”
Anti-LGBTQ policies implemented by the hosting nation Qatar have also been highlighted throughout the controversial tournament. According to CNN, in Qatar, people can expect up to three years in prison for committing acts of homosexuality. Many of these policies in Qatar existed before the country was chosen to host the World Cup; for this reason, many questioned why FIFA selected Qatar. During the tournament, Qatar also prevented many people from speaking out by banning international fans from wearing rainbow shirts. If the fans were caught with LGBTQ-supporting clothing, stadium security would confiscate them. In addition, many national teams were warned from wearing rainbow “One Love” armbands. Designed in September 2022 by the Dutch Football Association, the “One Love” armbands are used to promote inclusion. During the group stages of the tournament, FIFA alerted all teams that their captains would receive a yellow card at kickoff if they chose to wear this armband. Following this, countries including England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark issued a joint statement that they would not wear the armbands as they previously planned. Junior Vayuna Pradhan elaborates how this behavior directed to the LGBTQ community is immoral and upsetting.
“The treatment toward the LGBTQ fans of the World Cup is very disheartening and horrible to see,” Pradhan said. “The way this group of fans is being treated ruins the enjoyment that people have for the game of soccer. It only makes the existing bias for this community worse when World Cup ambassadors behave in such a way on a high-level platform.”
The various controversies surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup are no new story. Since 2010, FIFA World Cup officials have been at the center of various cheating and corruption scandals. In 2014, Brazil hosted the World Cup and thousands of poor, working-class Brazilians were forcibly removed from their homes in order to make room for new infrastructure for the tournament. Similarly, in 2018, many questions were raised against Russia’s hosting rights after FIFA was revealed to have a very close relationship with authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin. This year’s World Cup was no different, and the United States Department of Justice has made allegations that Qatar bribed FIFA officials into securing hosting rights for the World Cup (The New York Times). Qatar, a small country that has never qualified for the World Cup, spent around $220 million in their bid for hosting the World Cup. The nation’s victory was highly questioned when it defeated global sporting powerhouses like the U.S., Australia and Japan. Qatar had to construct an immense amount of infrastructure like the stadiums and transportation in order to support all the players, staff and fans who came for the event, something established sporting countries would already have had. Many have argued that Qatar hosting the World Cup was a case of “sport washing,” in which they tried to improve their reputation and distract attention from other controversies through the popularity of the giant sporting event. Junior Sophie Torres explains the importance of the World Cup and how its corruption is causing detrimental effects.
“I think all of the corruption and violations of human rights that are happening within the World Cup needs to come to an end,” Torres said. “This is such a beautiful event because all the countries come together to play the sport and it builds a community among fans. The corruption ruins the atmosphere and the unity between fans, so this issue needs to be taken seriously going forward.”
