The Controversies of Qatar

It wouldn’t be a World Cup without controversies. In recent years FIFA has been under fire and the Qatar World Cup was at the heart of this. There were controversies surrounding the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, the finances behind hosting a World Cup, and many human rights issues that are shocking to think about.

From the start, the Qatar World Cup was founded on corruption. A 2014 investigation by the FBI into FIFA revealed that Jack Warner, the Vice President of FIFA at the time, took a bribe of almost $2 million to award Qatar the World Cup. This was paired with promises by Qatari television companies and the Qatar government promising to donate several hundred million dollars if Qatar were designated as the host country. This led to the arrest of several executives in FIFA in 2019 (BBC News 2022). Due to the money invested by FIFA into Qatar and an overall lack of ethics the host country was not changed.

The extreme cost associated with hosting the World Cup has caused other controversies to emerge. Many fans and activists claim that the $220 billion Qatar has spent on stadiums and accommodations should go toward solving societal issues (BBC News 2022). I completely agree that this amount is far too high. Although amazing, these stadiums will be used much less frequently after the World Cup and the money could be used to help millions of people in need of support.

Worst of all, the World Cup in Qatar is riddled with human rights issues. Firstly, homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. This is punishable by fines and imprisonment, but they will likely be more lenient as all eyes will be on Qatar during the World Cup. Nonetheless, there is a need for change in the Qatari legislature to make it more inclusive. Another human rights issue that has arisen is the treatment of workers who are building the stadiums and infrastructure needed for the World Cup. Workers were severely underpaid, and some were even unpaid and were threatened with being deported if they refused to sign papers saying that they had been paid and treated well. For those workers that were being paid, most were given less than $200 per month for 48-hour work weeks. This was later raised to $275 per month, which is still ridiculously low considering Qatar’s high cost of living (BBC News 2022). A report from The Guardian revealed that over 6,500 migrant workers have died since construction for the World Cup began in 2010. This is completely unacceptable and has been swept under the rug by the government in Qatar. Upwards of 50 workers were deported this August for protesting low pay and poor working conditions, leaving those working with a very difficult decision to make (The Guardian 2021).

Workers have to work overnight to avoid the brutal heat of Qatar and face poor working conditions (Arlidge 2022)

Although the games of the World Cup will be amazing as will the experience there, it is important to consider the dark controversies that have occurred to make it a reality. Many people are boycotting the World Cup because of these ethical issues emerging. Will you still be watching the World Cup, or will you be making a stand against Qatar and FIFA’s actions?

 

Works Cited

Arlidge, John. “Qatar 2022: Inside the Most Controversial World Cup Ever.” The Sunday Times Magazine | The Sunday Times, The Sunday Times, 24 Jan. 2022, www.thetimes.co.uk/article/qatar-2022-inside-the-most-controversial-world-cup-ever-9kp3vst6v.

“Revealed: 6,500 Migrant Workers Have Died in Qatar since World Cup Awarded.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Feb. 2021, www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022.

“World Cup 2022: How Has Qatar Treated Foreign Workers?” BBC News, BBC, 25 Aug. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-60867042.

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