By Andy Douglas
My joy and sorrow rise in equal measure. The World Cup is here again - a chance to watch favorite players, relish the community of athleticism, celebrate achievements of cultures around the world. The World Cup is here. And it’s in Qatar. Arggh!
First, the joy. Will Neymar inspire another “Imitate Neymar Taking a Dive Contest?” Will Christian Pulisic save America? Will Ronaldo redeem himself for Portugal after making a hash of things at Manchester United?
Perennial favorites Brazil, France, Argentina and England look likely to win, but the wonderful thing about futbol is that upsets can and do happen. The US has no great chance, but it’s good to see them back in the tournament after missing out completely last time around.
There are many lessons we can learn from football. But, as we see with professional sports here in the US, the potential for great profit tends to skew the idealistic side of things.
To the sorrow. If you haven’t heard, this Cup is basically soaked in blood. It was awarded through a corrupt process, and is being staged in an unsuitable place that has very little connection to soccer.
The Guardian newspaper reported that 6500 migrant workers who came to build the stadiums have died in Qatar since it was awarded the Cup. The Qatar government says there were “only” 37, as the above figures include death from natural causes. The International Labor Organization, however, calls this an underestimate, noting that 50 workers died in 2021 alone and 500 were seriously injured.
Whatever the numbers, why the hell are we talking about any deaths at all?
Can we take a moment of silence to remember these human beings?
FIFA, the governing football world body, is already known to be corrupt. “FIFA Uncovered,” the Netflix doc, reports how 14 FIFA execs were arrested on suspicion of corruption. Bribery and shifty transactions have come to light following several countries’ winning bids to host the Cup.
This is part of what sportscaster Roger Bennett calls sports-washing, an opportunity to burnish a seedy reputation by hosting a global event. Hitler did it with the 1939 Olympic Games in Berlin. An Argentine junta did it with the 1978 Olympics.
I still can’t wrap my head around the news of so many deaths. Workers from Nigeria, Philippines, Nepal and other countries labored to construct the necessary infrastructure in time. But it reaches 120 degrees in the summer in Qatar, and there are no laws to prevent labor in the middle of the day. It’s part of a pattern there: Critics are jailed. Women and gays are persecuted. Freedom House gives Qatar a 25 out of 100 on the Global Freedom Score.
Amnesty International has highlighted numerous ways that migrant workers in Qatar are exploited: many pay expensive recruitment fees to land their jobs, they face appalling working conditions, they’re lied to about the salary they will receive, salaries are often delayed or withheld, they’re not issued proper ID and thus can’t leave the worker camps, passports are often confiscated, and they are threatened and subject to forced labor.
Some countries have pushed FIFA and Qatar for more support for worker rights.Australia has been particularly vocal. Other nations have joined in calling for a migrant worker center and compensation fund in Qatar.
How does Qatar respond? This past week it sent a letter to each World Cup nation asking them to celebrate the Cup and “focus on the football” rather than “every ideological and political battle that exists.”
As Beau Busch, Professional Footballers Association co-chief, told The Athletic: “It simply reinforces the scale of the challenge that those who want football to be a force for good face and highlights the courage of those who continue to speak up.”
Of course, what is happening in Qatar is part of a worldwide pattern of exploitation of workers. It happens everywhere, to greater or lesser degrees, including here in Iowa.
Where does that leave a fan? Should we boycott the Cup? Or enjoy what is certainly a unifying force in the world, and do what we can to put pressure on those responsible for abuses? While celebrating the human spirit, can we avoid denigrating the human spirit?
How can we transform large sporting competitions? To begin with, FIFA needs a house-cleaning. And the bid process should be more sustainable. We could link investments to long-term infrastructure for the local citizens of the host country. Investments need to promote equity – health and energy – not just growth. And human rights definitely should be considered when awarding bids.
Our only sorrow should be when our team loses on the field, not at the loss of life or dignity.
My joy and sorrow rise in equal measure. The World Cup is here again - a chance to watch favorite players, relish the community of athleticism, celebrate achievements of cultures around the world. The World Cup is here. And it’s in Qatar. Arggh!
First, the joy. Will Neymar inspire another “Imitate Neymar Taking a Dive Contest?” Will Christian Pulisic save America? Will Ronaldo redeem himself for Portugal after making a hash of things at Manchester United?
Perennial favorites Brazil, France, Argentina and England look likely to win, but the wonderful thing about futbol is that upsets can and do happen. The US has no great chance, but it’s good to see them back in the tournament after missing out completely last time around.
There are many lessons we can learn from football. But, as we see with professional sports here in the US, the potential for great profit tends to skew the idealistic side of things.
To the sorrow. If you haven’t heard, this Cup is basically soaked in blood. It was awarded through a corrupt process, and is being staged in an unsuitable place that has very little connection to soccer.
The Guardian newspaper reported that 6500 migrant workers who came to build the stadiums have died in Qatar since it was awarded the Cup. The Qatar government says there were “only” 37, as the above figures include death from natural causes. The International Labor Organization, however, calls this an underestimate, noting that 50 workers died in 2021 alone and 500 were seriously injured.
Whatever the numbers, why the hell are we talking about any deaths at all?
Can we take a moment of silence to remember these human beings?
FIFA, the governing football world body, is already known to be corrupt. “FIFA Uncovered,” the Netflix doc, reports how 14 FIFA execs were arrested on suspicion of corruption. Bribery and shifty transactions have come to light following several countries’ winning bids to host the Cup.
This is part of what sportscaster Roger Bennett calls sports-washing, an opportunity to burnish a seedy reputation by hosting a global event. Hitler did it with the 1939 Olympic Games in Berlin. An Argentine junta did it with the 1978 Olympics.
I still can’t wrap my head around the news of so many deaths. Workers from Nigeria, Philippines, Nepal and other countries labored to construct the necessary infrastructure in time. But it reaches 120 degrees in the summer in Qatar, and there are no laws to prevent labor in the middle of the day. It’s part of a pattern there: Critics are jailed. Women and gays are persecuted. Freedom House gives Qatar a 25 out of 100 on the Global Freedom Score.
Amnesty International has highlighted numerous ways that migrant workers in Qatar are exploited: many pay expensive recruitment fees to land their jobs, they face appalling working conditions, they’re lied to about the salary they will receive, salaries are often delayed or withheld, they’re not issued proper ID and thus can’t leave the worker camps, passports are often confiscated, and they are threatened and subject to forced labor.
Some countries have pushed FIFA and Qatar for more support for worker rights.Australia has been particularly vocal. Other nations have joined in calling for a migrant worker center and compensation fund in Qatar.
How does Qatar respond? This past week it sent a letter to each World Cup nation asking them to celebrate the Cup and “focus on the football” rather than “every ideological and political battle that exists.”
As Beau Busch, Professional Footballers Association co-chief, told The Athletic: “It simply reinforces the scale of the challenge that those who want football to be a force for good face and highlights the courage of those who continue to speak up.”
Of course, what is happening in Qatar is part of a worldwide pattern of exploitation of workers. It happens everywhere, to greater or lesser degrees, including here in Iowa.
Where does that leave a fan? Should we boycott the Cup? Or enjoy what is certainly a unifying force in the world, and do what we can to put pressure on those responsible for abuses? While celebrating the human spirit, can we avoid denigrating the human spirit?
How can we transform large sporting competitions? To begin with, FIFA needs a house-cleaning. And the bid process should be more sustainable. We could link investments to long-term infrastructure for the local citizens of the host country. Investments need to promote equity – health and energy – not just growth. And human rights definitely should be considered when awarding bids.
Our only sorrow should be when our team loses on the field, not at the loss of life or dignity.