The FIFA world cup, a source of excitement and delight for football lovers all over the world, kicked off this year on November 20th in the Arab country of Qatar. As the first Arab country to host the World Cup, it has also been at the centre of some of the most hotly discussed controversies surrounding it since its inaugural.
Since Qatar was announced as the host city almost 12 years ago, by winning a bid against the US, the tournament was always destined to be a World Cup of firsts. Even though the football finally kicked off on Sunday, November 20th, the controversies surrounding it are not yet subsiding.
So, what are the controversies surrounding the host country for FIFA World Cup 2022?
The quadrennial event, which attracts over 200 nations from all over the world, throws unprecedented light on international relations. Consequently, behooving one to consider the notion that football is not just a sport and is far from becoming apolitical.
1. Human Rights Abuse
Qatar has been cancelled by netizens since the announcement of the football world cup owing to the record of human rights abuse in the country.
The Guardian asserts that more than 6,500 migrant laborers from South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) working in Qatar have died since Qatar attained the rights to host the world cup a decade ago. The data were recorded by government sources and revealed that on average 12 migrant workers from these countries have died each week since December 2010.
Since hosting the World Cup is an enormous task even for a wealthy nation like Qatar, building the infrastructure and managing facilities like transportation has increased the expense of the country. It was reported that the migrant workers were hired for low wages and exploited for the preparations.
2. LGBT+ Issues and Laws
In Qatar, pertaining to the Islamic laws, same sex relations between men remains a punishable offense under the Penal Code which may include 7 years of imprisonment. Article 296 states that “leading, instigating or seducing a male in any way to commit sodomy or dissipation” and “inducing or seducing a male or a female in any way to commit illegal or immoral actions” is a crime.
President of FIFA Sepp Blatter said, “I would say they should refrain from any sexual activities,” when asked about the homosexual fans more in 2010.
In the light of the issue, Qatar allowed rainbow flags at the tournament in 2020. “When it comes to the rainbow flags in the stadiums, FIFA have their own guidelines, they have their rules and regulations,” 2022 World Cup chief executive Nasser Al-Khater told the AP. “Whatever they may be, we will respect them.”
Moreover, the Football Association of England gave assurance to the fans that LGBTQ+ fans would not be arrested or fined for holding hands or kissing in public. However, the host country asked the fans to act in line with the culture of the country.
3. Bribing Ecuador to lose opener
Ahead of the first match of the 2022 World Cup, claims were made about match-fixing rocking the FIFA world. Qatar was accused of bribing Ecuador to lose the opener. This controversy further gained spark when Amjad Taha, a strategic political affairs expert claimed the same.
“Exclusive: Qatar bribed eight Ecuadorian players $7.4 million to lose the opener(1-0 2nd half). Five Qatari and #Ecadour insiders confirmed this. We hope it’s false. We hope sharing this will affect the outcome. The world should oppose FIFA corruption,” tweeted Taha.
Neither the government nor the Football Associations commented on the matter. Furthermore, the claims were not validated by more people.
4. FIFA President and Hypocrisy of the West
In more than an hour-long monologue at a news conference in Doha, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino accused the West of “hypocrisy.” He talked about the doings of the Western Nations in their history rather than concentrating on the issues in Qatar.
He began his speech with – “Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker.”
“We have been taught many lessons from Europeans and the Western world. I am European. For what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons,” he further said.
5. Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol consumption is a big deal for football fans. However, being an Islamic country, selling and drinking Alcohol in Qatar is strictly regulated. As per Qatar’s FIFA mandate, licensed hotels and bars will have alcohol for consumption. But it will be accessible only for those who are above the age of 21, said Qatar’s World Cup CEO. “While alcohol will be available to those who want a drink in designated areas, it will not be openly available on the streets,” Qatar’s World Cup CEO, Nasser Al Khater.
