How have FIFA and the Arab country maneuvered to fend off criticism?
Although Qatar is not known as a sports country, thanks to the organization of the World Cup, it has managed to bind the sports world. In fact, sport (along with tourism) is expected to be an important part of Qatar’s economic future given finite oil and gas reserves.
However, Qatar’s status as host of the World Cup is highly controversial. Why did it happen? And how have FIFA and Qatar managed to fend off the criticism?
In 2010, Qatar surprisingly won FIFA’s vote to host the 2022 World Cup, a decision that critics blamed on outside influences beyond the bid itself.
It was hard to understand how Qatar, with average daytime temperatures of over 40℃ in summer, was an ideal environment for this tournament.
A few years later, FIFA allowed Qatar to move the event to winter, despite the fact that it would disrupt fixture calendars in the northern hemisphere.
So despite some critics calling for the World Cup host to be withdrawn from Qatar, this small Gulf country, with an exceptionally wealthy economy derived from oil and gas, retained FIFA’s backing.
However, FIFA’s support for Qatar soon came under further pressure, for two main reasons.
First, critics confirmed their displeasure that the host country is hostile to homosexuality. In 2010, FIFA was aware of Qatar’s position that homosexuality is an affront to Islam, and agreed that Qatar should not deviate from its cultural norms.
In response, then FIFA President Sepp Blatter awkwardly joked that LGBTQI+ football fans could refrain from amorous activities while in Qatar.
Second, Qatar had allowed the exploitation of [trabajadores extranjeros] vulnerable -which were essential for the construction of the World Cup infrastructure-, with working and living conditions close to slavery.
While precise numbers are hard to come by, a February 2021 study by The Guardian estimated there had been around 6,500 workplace deaths in the decade since Qatar was awarded the World Cup. While not all of them specifically worked at the tournament facilities, experts say most were employed at the infrastructure works that support the event.
FIFA was well aware that stadium construction would rely on imported foreign labor under the so-called ‘kafala system’, which allows wealthy businessmen to oppress poor workers.
The West’s reluctance to choose Qatar to host the World Cup has undoubtedly led to an awakening of what has been described as “FIFA’s sensitivity to human rights”. Two facts stand out:
First, in 2013, despite concerted human rights pressures, FIFA’s statutes were amended to state that discrimination based on “sexual orientation” is “strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion” from the competition.
However, the hosts of the World Cup Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) already had contracts at the time to host the event in accordance with their own laws and customs, which are hostile to homosexuality.
In fact, by choosing not to raise the issue of sexual freedom with either of the two intended hosts, FIFA delayed the implementation of the anti-discrimination measures contained in its amended 2013 statutes.
In fact, for the 2026 World Cup, human rights were a central part of the host city selection process, requiring candidates to “develop detailed human rights plans”.
Second, under concerted pressure from workers’ rights organizations, FIFA has committed to respecting the conventions of the International Labor Organization. Therefore, FIFA’s human rights policy in 2017 was in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. But again, it was a position for the future: the agreements with the candidacies of Russia and Qatar had already been signed.
FIFA could, if it so wishes, threaten to withdraw one of the two agreements already signed with the two venues. But he had no interest in the logistical ramifications or the potential legal ramifications. Instead, in the case of Qatar, FIFA consoled itself by calling for reforms in the working conditions of foreign workers.
According to a report by Equidem, a labor and human rights charity, the exploitation of migrant workers continues, meaning that promised reforms have not been adequately implemented.
In addition, Qatar has vehemently rejected demands from human rights organizations – along with FIFA – to compensate the families of foreign workers killed in the construction of World Cup infrastructure.
Qatar has made an extraordinary effort to host the World Cup, spending an estimated $100 billion on infrastructure. Daytime temperatures in winter can often reach 30℃, so all eight stadiums (seven of which are new) are heated to a minimum of 24℃.
To move spectators around the venues, the Doha Metro has been created, complemented by a new bus transportation system.
Eleven luxury hotels opened just before the World Cup and room volume across Qatar has tripled in the past decade. However, this will be insufficient to accommodate the nearly three million fans expected to travel to Doha.
Add to that the cruise ships and floating mini-hotels, as well as the tiny huts and tents in the Fan Village.
Qatar claims the World Cup will be carbon neutral thanks to renewable energy and carbon offsets, and a tenfold increase in green spaces around Doha, including more than a million new trees.
Some climate experts have questioned the strength of such claims.
But the use of recycled shipping containers in stadium construction, as well as the planned donation of reusable seats in several stadiums, is testament to Qatar’s growing commitment to sustainability.
Qatar, despite hosting a world event, does so from a local perspective. It is the first Muslim country to host the World Cup, bringing its own vision of the world to the FIFA competition.
Two issues are likely to test hosts and football fans alike.
First, the World Cup has long been associated with the consumption of large amounts of alcohol. While alcohol is readily available in Qatar, drinking in public is against the law.
This position has been changed for the World Cup: alcohol is sold in the stadium fences, but not during the matches. Fans must quench their thirst within three hours before the start of the match and one hour after the match.
However, in Qatar’s 40,000 capacity fan zone, alcohol may be sold from 6:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., so it’s possible to watch night matches on the big screen while drinking a beer. sobriety tents.
Second, Qatar has sought to reassure football fans of any sexual orientation that they will be safe and welcome, albeit with the caveat that public displays of affection – of any kind – are frowned upon locally.
As with alcohol, it now appears that Qatar will temporarily apply different rules. According to a report from a Dutch news site, which said it had seen documents shared between the tournament organizers and the Qatari police, people in the LGBTQI+ community who “show affection in public will not be reprimanded, detained or Prosecuted. They are allowed to carry rainbow flags. Same-sex couples are allowed to share a hotel room.
The world has come to Qatar and, at least for a while, the country is adapting its local rules. A more lasting legacy of the World Cup has been the introduction of gradual reforms in the treatment of foreign workers, although the lack of compensation for the families of deceased workers is still a bloody red card for Qatar.
This article was published in The conversion.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
