Qatar’s World Cup: A Story of Corruption, Human Rights Violations, and Blatant Hypocrisy
Football. A sport of passion and love. For many, it is more than a sport; it is a lifestyle and these people live and breathe football. They will go to extreme lengths to show their support for their club and country. For many football fans, the World Cup is always a special occasion. Every four years, football fans worldwide converge in stadiums, city squares, and in front of their TVs to watch the beautiful game together. The joy. The sorrow. The feel-good stories. It is what makes the occasion so significant, yet, the trophy lifted by team Argentina (and Salt Bae) this year is stained with corruption and blood. So what exactly is going on in Qatar, and what is the “hypocrisy” surrounding it?
This story started in 2010, when voting for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups began, raising a few eyebrows. There was never an instance of this happening before. Even more eyebrows rose when Qatar was declared the host of the 2022 World Cup. The country had no proper infrastructure to host the World Cup at the time and had no football heritage. Some put on their tinfoil hats and began creating theories on how it might have happened.
However, the truth was revealed to the public following further investigation by federal agencies and journalists. More than half of the members of FIFA’s Executive Committee who were present during the voting were bribed to vote for Qatar. The ways officials were bribed varied, from the old-fashioned “I give you money, and you’ll do what I want you to do” method to buying out a whole football club. It caused severe controversy in the football world, resulting in the resignation and suspension of many officials, including the resignation of CEO Sepp Blatter.
Then there are the human rights violations. Nearly 90% of Qatar’s residents are foreigners, the majority being migrant workers from less-developed countries in South Asia and Africa. Many are subjects of the kafala system, where practices such as passport confiscation are commonplace. They live in worker dormitories with slum-like conditions — unsanitary, unhygienic, and uncomfortable. These worker dormitories segregate unskilled foreign workers from locals and expatriates similar to how black and white individuals were separated during Apartheid, denying them a chance of climbing up the social ladder and preventing them from success.
These workers also face treacherous working conditions and hot desert weather as they construct new facilities for the World Cup. An estimated 6,500 migrant workers from South Asia alone have died during the preparation period for the World Cup, with the number of worker deaths involving the construction of World Cup infrastructure still uncertain. Yet, they remain silent, not by choice but through force. Heavy censorship in Qatar rules out any chance for them to speak out against the regime, and they choose to remain anonymous even when they do. LGBTQ+ rights are also virtually non-existent, with systemic police brutality against LGBT individuals even being reported.
In response to atrocities committed by the Qatari regime, many participating teams have decided to protest against the human rights issues. Infamously, team Germany put their hands over their mouth during their opening day matchup against Japan in solidarity with those silenced by the government. They went on to lose the game, but Die Mannschaft’s move was perceived to be highly hypocritical due to the strong ties between Germany and Qatar.
Germany and Qatar have been long-time allies, military-wise and trade-wise. Germany accounts for 7.3% of Qatar’s foreign trade volume, and the two nations have only just signed an energy partnership agreement as recently as May this year. On 29 November 2022, Germany signed a 15-year deal with state-owned QatarEnergy gas company to buy 2 million tonnes of liquid gas, with deliveries starting in 2026. On the other hand, Qatar has made massive investments in many big German companies, notably the Volkswagen Group, the world’s 8th largest company by revenue. Qatar’s foreign investment authority holds a 14.6% share in the company, totaling up to $43.48B of shares in the automotive conglomerate.
So, what have we understood through all the controversy? Firstly, Qatar uses modern slavery to build stadiums and hotels while violating basic human rights. Secondly, those criticizing the Qatari regime for its human rights violations and discrimination are shameless hypocrites by funding the event through their trade deals and investment. To these people, one can only have a simple request: Practice what you preach or change your speech.
Or you can just stop funding those committing crimes against humanity.
By: Brian Lo
