A Brief Overview
Once a tournament enjoyed exclusively among American and European nations, the FIFA World Cup has turned into a global sensation, drawing in teams from six of the seven continents, with the exception of Antarctica. It was the most watched global sporting event of the year (2022), pulling ahead of the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. For many, this once-in-a-four-years event symbolizes national pride and unity. However, this is not always the case. Although there are many more, we will focus on two leading controversies that surround the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The Stadium Controversy
If you watched the Qatar 2022 World Cup this year like me, you are probably familiar with all the stadiums such as Lusail Stadium, Education City Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, and many more. What you most likely didn't know, however, was how these stadiums were built.
Due to a sharp increase in the number of job openings in Qatar related to the World Cup, many migrant workers from countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Philippines, and more traveled to Qatar in search for job openings related to the construction of new stadiums.
According to the Guardian, more than 6,500 workers from those countries died in Qatar since 2010. In addition to that, there have been reports of abuse and unsafe working conditions for these workers. This has lead to strong backlash from the global community and forced Qatar to take more actions regarding improvements in workers' rights, such as the establishment of Qatar's first minimum wage.
A Lack of Basic Human Rights
Qatar has been known for silencing those who dissent against the government, however, the lead up to the World Cup has brought this practice to light. When independent reporters traveled to Qatar to report the treatment of migrant workers before the start of the World Cup, the Qatari government took steps to limit journalists from entering the country.
Furthermore, the Qatari government also banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in the stadiums, the first ban of its kind. Although alcohol is completely banned in Qatar, what makes this ruling controversial is that Qatar promised that it would allow such beverages to be sold in the stadiums, however, reversed its stance just two days before the first game.
Although there have been many instances of human rights abuses in this World Cup such as the mistreatment of those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community or who simply support it, we will leave it at that for now.
Final Thoughts
In an increasingly divided world, one of the few things that unites us is soccer (or football, for our international visitors). When I watched Kylian Mbappe score his hat-trick and Lionel Messi lift up the trophy, I was astonished like everyone else I know, however, the thought of all those migrant workers and their families never left my head.
Although most of us enjoyed the games, very few knew the harsh circumstances behind the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Great article. Very detailed and thoughtful - So very with the times !!!