The upcoming football World Cup will be held in Qatar, on the Arabian Peninsula, between the 20th of November and the 18th of December. This will be the first of these championships held during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months, as well as being hosted in a country where the official religion is Islamic. It will also make Qatar the smallest land mass to host a World Cup, pipping Sweden’s record from 1958. According to Wikipedia the religious makeup of the country is 65.5% Muslim, 14.2% Christian, 3.3% Buddhist, with 1.9% of an assortment of other beliefs. In terms of ethnic diversity, the Gulf State is made up of 40% Arabian, 36% South Asian, 10% Iranian, and 14% of other groups. The Government is a semi constitutional monarchy, with a single party parliamentary system, based around Sharia law. There is a long history to the country and the region, with settlements dating back to the Stone Age, with artefacts linked to the Mesopotamians being found by archaeologists.
The awarding of the competition to this host nation has been beset by controversy and criticism. Although there has not been any proof of corruption, or bribery in the selection process, many officials at FIFA (the international governing body) around the time of the award of the World Cup have been subsequently jailed for a variety of irregular and immoral activities. Outside of football, Qatar has been criticised for their human rights record and their treatment of homosexuals. Methods of torture, such as flogging and stoning are still legitimate forms of punishment and LGBTQ+ rights are, not only non-existent, but (potentially) punishable by death. The former Qatari international player and current World Cup ambassador, Khalid Salman, described homosexuality as ‘damage in the brain’. Additionally, the use of migrant workers, as effectively slave labour has been reported on by many media organisations. Personal documentation has been held by employers, food and water has reportedly been withheld and there has been very lax safety regulations. This lack of protections has resulted in many deaths in the building of stadia and infrastructure for this tournament.
The football World Cup is, alongside the Olympic Games, the largest sporting event on the globe. The hosting of a major international competition such as this is a huge honour for any nation state. It provides a focus on and a celebration of a culture and a beauty of a country. It has also been used by governments to try to (at least) legitimise ideologies – think of the NAZI Party during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Now, FIFA say that politics and sport should never mix, however, I would argue that this is absolute tosh. The awarding of such a prestigious event to a country that has a record like that of Qatar’s (when there were alternatives) is a political statement. The defence of such a position is a political statement. Staying quiet on such issues as described above is a political decision. Not only has FIFA decided to defend and/or stay quiet on their decision on the human rights record, LGBTQ+ rights and the slave labour in Qatar but they are actively encouraging the participating footballing federations to do so as well. A letter was recently sent out to the 32 football associations telling them to ‘focus on the football’ and that they should not be ‘handing out moral lessons’.
This begs the questions, what is the price of our entertainment? Football, sport more generally, is treated as a part of the entertainment industry these days. Should we, as fans and potential customers, be legitimising the discrimination of homosexuals, slave labour and anti democratic governments? FIFA obviously doesn’t care about these things. The previous World Cup in 2018 was awarded to Russia, with similar issues around LQBTQ+ rights, as well as a lack of enfranchisement of their population. For those football fans who want to watch the competition, what will we choose to be the price of to be paid? There will obviously be no consequence from the international governing body, so how will the rest of us show our discontent?
A popular suggestion has been to withhold our viewership. There’s credibility to this idea, as there are many large businesses and advertisers involved in the World Cup and money does hold a lot of power. If people refuse to tune in then this sends a message. However, this means that those who enjoy football, miss out of some top quality games. An alternative could be that we withhold our custom from those businesses associating themselves with this event. This puts the responsibility directly in the pockets of those financially supporting the World Cup. Additionally, those who enjoy sport and football as an exercise in community engagement could be inclusive in their own part of the world. If you are angry about the disenfranchisement of minority groups, then why not take a stand where you are? Coach your local youth team, help develop opportunities for others, stand up for the rights of others. We all have a choice in life. We have seen what FIFA have chosen to do and how they habitually behave. What will you do?
