Why did Qatar choose to win the FIFA World Cup? It wasn’t because of a bid from top to bottom, but because someone had to take it seriously
Any World Cup that draws a lot of people to watch its final game in December will have repercussions for society and politics.
A report from Human Rights Watch published last month documented the cases of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people who were arrested and jailed in the country, for having sex between men, because it is against the law to do so.
National teams – and, critically, their governments – can and must push Qatar for accountability. Human Rights Watch is behind the #PayUpFIFA campaign. The families of migrant workers who have died or been injured while preparing for the World Cup should get at least $440 million, equal to the prize money for the tournament, if the effort is successful. Every club with a conscience ought to forcefully support it.
Disputes about FIFA thwarting a bid by European teams to support LGBTQ+ diversity, women’s rights, the treatment of immigrant workers who built air conditioned stadiums in the desert and the availability of alcohol in the Muslim nation raged since before the opening game. The dramas revived suspicions that a sport that presents itself as open to all ignored human rights and political repression in Qatar for a share of its host’s oil riches in a nation with little cultural or historical connection to the beautiful game.
It’s not clear how, then, did Qatar get chosen? It won the bid through a process of rigging from top to bottom, according to an endless stream of investigative journalism. (Qatar strongly denies the allegations).
The Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was purchased by a Qatari firm around the same time as Veolia was bought by another.
The son of the former head of the European football association was hired by a firm connected to the fund. Npotisme? Zut alors!
But don’t take our word for it. Matt Miller, a former Department of Justice official who traveled with former Attorney General Eric Holder to Zurich to witness the bidding process, told us: “It was the most corrupt thing I’ve ever seen in my career, and I spent a couple years working in New Jersey politics.”
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To ensure that image happens, Qatar even announced that international television crews will be banned from filming in locations without pre-approval from Qatari authorities. As James Lynch, from London-based human rights group FairSquare, told the Guardian, these “extraordinarily sweeping range of restrictions” would make it very difficult for media to cover any stories not strictly related to games.
By the end of the tournament, every single person who is expected to tune in will know what is happening off screen.
Already, there have been some positive steps in this direction. The statement of the protest jerseys by the Danes is very powerful and has caused irritation to the government in the other side of the world. The German and Norwegian teams wore shirts with the message: “Human rights”.
This shows a change in power and financial muscle across the globe, from the capitals of Western Europe to new epicenters in the Middle East and India. And football, with its massive global appeal, is taking a huge cut. Traditional working class football clubs knitted into their communities for decades now suddenly find themselves owned by foreign energy magnates. Manchester City was bought by a group from the United Arab Emirates. And Newcastle United is owned by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium, forcing fans to consider (or not) the ethical dimensions of their support for their hometown clubs.
England’s Football Association has been similarly weak in its response. After European football federations promised to call out Qatar with more than “just wearing a t-shirt,” they ended up settling on wearing rainbow armbands, which, quite literally, amount to less than a t-shirt.
All national teams need to step up – and players have a crucial role to play in this effort as well. We can only imagine the level of pressure already on these athletes to perform. They have likely dreamed about this moment since they were children – and fought so bloody hard and given up so much to make it a reality.
They did not start kicking a football thinking they were going to have to speak out about human rights. But there is also a long tradition of athlete activism, from Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in Mexico City to Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford combating child hunger in the United Kingdom.
This doesn’t mean every player must speak out. But those who do should be supported and amplified – like the Socceroos, Australia’s national soccer team, who called for remediation for workers who have been harmed and the decriminalization of all same-sex relationships in Qatar.
This is not just about the World Cup. It’s about whether people who believe in democracy and human rights are going to let authoritarian regimes get away with hijacking the sports we love.
Saudi Arabia is already attempting to sportswash its image through LIV Golf and the WWE. Russia and Bahrain have tried to do it through Formula One. Maybe we can make the next generation of autocrats worried about a Qatar-esque humiliation instead of thirsty for a Beijing 2008 moment if we make a stand against them.
If we can change the world’s perception about the impact of boycotts, protests and damaging press on the World Cup being awarded to countries like Saudi Arabia, then this could be a change in the world’s attitude towards the tournament.
This matters. Because as every football fan knows, the World Cup is more than a tournament. It has been compared to a global eclipse which strikes the entire planet at the same time.
It’s a unique arena where nations can compete fiercely and then shake hands. It is supposed to represent the best of us, our incredible diversity and common humanity.
So far, the tournament has been consumed by more controversies off the field than have been caused by the erratic VAR video review system that can send fans into fury.
The politics will turn into a sideshow now that the goals have started flying, even if fans are morally conflicted about watching their team. But the political subplot also risks a PR debacle.
And criticism from football fan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about a ban on players wearing LGBTQ+ OneLove armbands Tuesday turned a sporting spectacular back into an international diplomatic spat.
One of the most powerful things about football is the potential to bring people from all over the world together.
“It’s always concerning from my perspective when we see any restrictions on freedom of expression. It’s especially true when the expression is for both diversity and inclusion. And in my judgment, at least, no one on the football pitch should be forced to choose between supporting these values and playing for their team,” Blinken said.
Briana Scurry, who played for the US women’s team that won the World Cup, told CNN that FIFA had brought this political storm with their choice of venue for the World Cup.
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For instance, Iranian players declined to sing their national anthem in their opening game against England on Monday, in a possible protest about the violent suppression of dissent rocking the Islamic Republic.
Western institutions are trying to grab a piece of the money that comes in from the Middle East despite the risks to their values.
Because of this power shift, other sports are changing as well. Hundreds of millions of viewers in India for the fast and furious IPL cricket league have shifted the balance of power in the sport from England and Australia. Formula One, which is comparable to football in its international footprint, now sends racers on multiple circuits in the Middle East. And Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is trying to bust the dominance of the venerable PGA tour in the US after snapping up golf stars like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson with massive pay incentives.
In sports washing, a nation that has been criticized for their political and human rights performance tries to improve their image by wooing the world’s top sporting stars. China was accused of such an agenda with its 2008 and 2022 Summer and Winter Olympics, where attempts at political activism largely fizzled under its repressive rule.
The awarding of the tournament to Russia in 2018, as well as allegations of corruption in the previous awarding of the tournament to Qatar, have long been fodder for the world’s basketball governing body. In 2020, the US Justice Department alleged that bribes were accepted by top global football officials ahead of votes that allocated the two events. The officials in Russia and the Middle East denied the allegations. In August of last year, the DOJ wrapped up a six-year investigation into soccer corruption, and gave the sport’s other global regulators $200 million for being victims of decades-long bribes.
The clash of cultures at this World Cup has taken place every day between Western and conservative developing nations and in developed societies that include many migrant communities.
The UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Wales plan to join the “OneLove” campaign. But their governing associations accused FIFA of threatening sporting sanctions on the players, including possible yellow cards, which could result in them being sent off if they picked up a second yellow card for a foul in a match.
Visitors should respect local traditions if they are in line with their own values and freedoms. But this is also about discrimination. After a bizarre news conference by the president of football’s governing body, there was suspicionthat they had caved in to the pressure of the Qatari government.
“Today I feel Qatari. I feel like an Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. I feel like a disabled person today. Infantino said he felt a migrant worker.
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homosexuality is banned in the country, but it was dismissed as a reason for the ban. Fatma Al Nuaimi, a person with ties to the organizers, told CNN that everything that happens on the pitch is a matter for the sport’s governing body.
Yet underscoring the selective nature of political protests at sporting events, England skipper Harry Kane, who didn’t wear an armband, joined teammates in taking a knee in a stand against racism before kickoff.
Modern athletes, brands in themselves, seem increasingly open to causes in ways that challenge their sports’ governing officials. For example, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for the National Anthem in the 2016 season to protest police brutality against Black men, ignited a global sporting and political movement. But the protest also angered NFL owners who disdain insubordination from players. The anti-racism campaigns have been cast into doubt due to the fact that there is no quarterback anymore in the league. The NFL also found itself dragged into a potential conflict between its many Black players and some of its conservative fan bases, a fact that ex-President Donald Trump exploited by dragging it into his culture warfare.
Athletes may be held to higher moral standards than the government, which is important to the current golf feud. Critics have slammed top pros for taking cash from Saudi Arabia, whose nationals made up 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001. But the kingdom is a beneficiary of huge US arms sales and President Joe Biden went there this year to seek more oil production to alleviate high gasoline prices.
The tournament will show how the world has changed. Soccer, despite the 1994 US-hosted World Cup, has struggled to make the cultural leap to become a dominant US pro sport, despite high youth participation. But the tournament will highlight the hold it has on US immigrant and diaspora communities, an increasingly important political demographic in the country.
Ever since sport went global, it’s always reflected social, cultural and religious trends and conflicts – despite calls from purists for it to remain a safe space from politics. There will be a lot of attention paid to the footballing circus coming to the United States in mid-century.
The fate of Messi’s last tournament after the World Cup: a tribute to his hero and his role in the game of Qatar 2022
The South American side was expected to brush aside its opponent, ranked 48 places below them in the world standings, and fans had come in droves to watch Messi put on a masterclass in what he says will be his last tournament.
The biggest upset in World Cup history was overshadowed by Messi’s face of thunder, as Saudi Arabia celebrated its win.
Messi was one of the players who spoke to the media as his teammates walked past reporters towards the bus.
After Spain won the World Cup after losing to Switzerland in the opening match, it made sense to think that a defeat in the first match isn’t the end of the world.
Argentina will likely make it to the knockouts if it wins both of its next games against Poland and Mexico, but the loss was felt very hard at home.
Thousands in blue and white shirts sang Messi’s name as they made their way to the game and continued to celebrate their hero as he graced Qatar 2022 with a penalty in the opening 10 minutes.
The Argentine players still looked for Messi almost every time they got the ball. If he didn’t demand the ball himself, Messi would often orchestrate the play by pointing to where he wanted the ball to go.
But despite flashes of brilliance, he couldn’t find the space in order to change the game. The Saudi supporters chanting Messi’s name at the final whistle was ironic as the Argentine fans were slumped in their seats.
Jubilant fans leaving the stadium took the Metro back into downtown Doha where celebrations continued, many singing until their voices started to break.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/football/lionel-messi-fronts-defeat-argentina-saudi-arabia-spt-intl/index.html
Qatar is the first to win a World Cup tournament: human rights organizations call on Qatar to respect the country’s cultural heritage and football’s governing body
The world came to terms with the result, as the king of Saudi Arabia ordered a national public holiday on Wednesday.
The first host nation to lose the opening game of a World Cup tournament was also the first to lose a game, as Qatar lost 2-0 to Ecuador on Sunday.
During the bidding process, it faced several obstacles as FIFA, football’s governing body, flagged concerns in technical reports. The region experiences intense heat in the summer and lacks existing infrastructure when it comes to World Cup tournaments.
According to Blatter, the criteria for selecting a host country was changed because of concerns over working conditions at tournament-related construction sites.
FIFA was handed victim status by US prosecutors as they viewed football’s world governing body as having been almost hijacked by a number of corrupt individuals.
Since 2010, many migrant workers have respectively faced delayed or unpaid wages, forced labor, long hours in hot weather, employer intimidation, and an inability to leave their jobs because of the country’s sponsorship system, human rights organizations have found.
The health, safety and dignity of all workers employed on our projects has remained steadfast according to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
The International Labour Organization has noted the reforms of non-discriminatory minimum wage, which were adopted byQatar, as being the first in the region.
A statement sent to CNN on behalf of the SC said it was committed to “an inclusive and discriminatory-free” World Cup, pointing to the fact that the country had, it said, hosted hundreds of international and regional sporting events since being awarded the World Cup in 2010.
“Everyone is welcome in Qatar, but we are a conservative country and any public display of affection, regardless of orientation, is frowned upon. We simply ask for people to respect our culture.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/football/qatar-fifa-world-cup-explainer-spt-intl/index.html
The heart of a Muslim country: The FIFA World Cup stage and the legacy of Islamophobia in the war on terror in the Persian Gulf
The World Cup is being held in November and December as opposed to June and July, a sign that the event is different from the norm.
It’s not a big deal that the switch was necessitated because of the hot weather in the summer months in Qatar.
FIFA announced earlier on Monday that it had brought forward its “No Discrimination” campaign – which also has a designated armband – adding that “all 32 captains will have the opportunity to wear this armband” during the World Cup.
Time will tell what the legacy of this World Cup will be, but if the past few days, months, and years are anything to go by, it is likely to be complicated and controversial.
The War on Terror stigmatized Muslim identity and has silenced their prayers, causing things to fall apart. The World Cup stage enabled a new chapter of resilience and triumph in the center of the world stage, even though the Moroccan team did not defeat Islamophobia.
Those moments unwritten from the pages of history are often simply missing a stage. A new kind of stage was being prepared for the game between Spain and the Moroccans that is set to be played in the middle of the Persian Gulf. The biggest football tournament, the FIFA World Cup, was unfolding in the heart of a Muslim nation. And authors adorned in red jerseys were primed to pen history with their feet instead of their hands.
A subaltern stage, in Qatar, where mosques with majestic minarets stood tall alongside state-of-the art stadiums, making for a mise en scène the World Cup had never seen before.
“I couldn’t stop praying while the match was going on,” said Hassan, a 31 year old Moroccon who watched the match from his home in Madrid. We messaged, back and forth, as extra time expired and the stage was set for penalty kicks – he in the heart of Spain and me inside the stadium in Doha, as the eyes of the world descended on the pitch.
They gravitated toward it by faith, and in response to an Islamophobia that has been fully and fervently global. New crusades spawned by two decades of a so-called War on Terror found a defiant rebuttal upon the unlikely stage of a football field.
“I just knew that they were going to win,” Hassan told me later. I felt it as my plane descended intoQatar and I hurried to the stadium in order to catch the last few minutes of the second half in a red shirt, donning the very same shirt that painted the stadium green.
From the very beginning it was a spiritual experience. Thousands of Moroccan fans waved and whistled, paraded and prayed inside the stadium, joined by billions of Muslim supporters from banlieues in Paris, lounges in Rabat and yes, living rooms in Spain.
I was here to feel it and see it. As time stopped and the teams prepared for penalty kicks, they realized that something bigger than football was at play.
Ziyech and Hakimi, from Morocco to the Atlas Lions, as a reminder of the history of the hunt for the martyrs
In the middle of a new football stage where Islam was neither fringe nor marginal, the team fromMoroccan dropped to their knees in prayer.
Bona fide stars like Ziyech and Hakimi, who play for the biggest European clubs, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, alongside virtual unknowns yet to make their football names. They prayed together, reciting Al Fatiha, the opening passage from the Qur’an and embodying the Islamic tenet that renders all believers – regardless of their station in life, or how bright their star shined – equal.
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, or “Bono,” stopped kicks from Spain’s Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets, supported by a different “Hand of God” as Spain’s Pablo Sarabia’s strike ricocheted off the post.
Hakimi stood up and bowed down. Then, towards the goal, he raised his eyes. The eyes of Muslims all over the world, older and young, locked in on a star.
The history of the hunt will always be praised by the hunter until the lions have their own historians, as was written by Chinua Achebe. The Atlas Lions gave Muslims a brand of historians who rose above Islamophobic odds to win the hearts of Muslims around the world.