Title: How Politics and Football Intersect at the 2022 World Cup
Content Warnings: homophobia, racism, death and execution
Written by Kathryn Kwon
Edited by Kathryn Lee
Picture credit: Getty Images/ Vox
AL KHOR, Qatar — On November 20, 2022, the 2022 World Cup kicked off its opening match in Al Bayt stadium as millions of people from around the world watched both in person and through their screens. Despite a smooth start, politics and controversy have embroiled this year’s tournament.
Why Is Qatar a Controversial Location for the World Cup?
For many reasons, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA’s) decision to let Qatar host the World Cup has fallen under scrutiny, marring the football federation’s reputation with claims of corruption and bribery. From being accused of human rights violations to supporting homophobia, Qatar has been swept up in protest.
Human Rights Violations
Qatar is the smallest country to host the World Cup; the nation is approximately as large as the state of Connecticut.
When Qatar was announced as the 2022 host, they were not equipped to host the mass numbers of people and tourism that would flock to the country. In preparation, Qatar employed its large population of migrant workers — about 95% of their labor workforce — to build the appropriate infrastructure.
The country’s system for hiring migrant workers has been heavily criticized. Foreign workers require sponsorship by a Qatari citizen, cannot change their job once assigned and need their employer to approve exit permits in order to leave the country.
According to a report by The Guardian, since 2010, more than 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar from dangerous and exploitative working conditions. However, Qatar has only admitted to three work-related deaths, attributing 37 other deaths to non-work related reasons.
The LGBTQ+ Community
Before the World Cup, England, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Wales had agreed to wear “One Love” armbands to symbolize diversity, inclusion, anti-discrimination and support for the LGBTQ+ community. However, these plans were short-lived as FIFA threatened to impose sporting sanctions on outspoken participating teams.
In retaliation, Wales waved a rainbow flag on their training grounds in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Security forces later confiscated the flag and other rainbow merchandise in Qatar. Ahead of their opening match, German national players posed for a photo in which they covered their mouths to protest Qatar and FIFA’s response to wearing “One Love” armbands.
However, many fans found the German team’s display hypocritical after the racist abuse and treatment former national team player Mesut Özil faced following Germany’s early defeat during the 2018 World Cup. Özil’s 2018 tweet “I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” has resurfaced to embody the discrimination that many football athletes of color face after a loss.
“Everyone is welcome in Qatar,” said a Qatari government official in a statement about the country’s inclusivity. However, in Qatar, homosexuality is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison; and according to the Sharia courts, gay men can be sentenced to death.
Human Rights Watch reported that multiple people were arrested for being queer in October, just before the beginning of the World Cup. Those detained were subjected to verbal and physical assault.
In response to these worries, FIFA published a Human Rights Grievance Mechanism on their official website, which would allow anyone to report human rights concerns in regards to the 2022 World Cup.
Iran — The National Team and Jina Amini
In their opening match against England, the Iranian team stood in silence during their national anthem to support the protests happening in Iran and to condemn the corruption of their government.
Since 22-year-old Jina Amini was killed after being detained by Tehran’s morality police for wearing her hijab loosely, Iran has endured civil unrest. Protests have grown to encompass both anti-government sentiments and calls for women’s rights.
Like many other countries, soccer is a popular sport in Iran. However, following the team’s failure to advance past the group stage, many civilians in Iran erupted with joy.
Recently, Amir Nasr-Azadani, a 26-year-old soccer player who did not participate in the World Cup, was sentenced to death for advocating for women's rights. Nasr-Azadani is one of 28 individuals sentenced to death; of those who were already killed, three were children.
Organizations like the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) have spoken out on social media to show their support of Nasr-Azadani, calling for the revocation of his sentence.
Protests in Iran have continued into its third month. Civilians and supporters have taken to the streets and to social media as women have burned their hijab and cut their hair in calls for change.
The compulsory hijab, implemented in Iran in 1983, represents a history of conservative control and civilian discontent with the government. What is being fought for is the right to choose — to wear or not wear a hijab. To condemn all who wear hijabs is not what this movement stands for.
“Free Palestine” — Words That Have Overtaken the World Cup
Palestinian solidarity was seen throughout the World Cup despite Western media’s lack of attention.
In both the Tunisia-Australia and the Morocco-Belgium matches, Tunisian and Moroccan fans were seen unrolling a flag that read, “Free Palestine.” In Tunisia’s match against France, a Tunisian fan ran onto the pitch with the Palestinian flag while the crowd chanted “Palestine.” The Moroccan national team waved the Palestinian flag in a post-match photo after their victory against Spain.
Many World Cup fans have even declined to speak to Israeli reporters in support of the Palestinian cause, while many Israeli broadcasts of the World Cup have been interrupted by pro-Palestine supporters.
The Free Palestine Movement stems from Israel’s occupation of Palestine. The movement advocates for the freedom of Palestine and equality of Palestinian people.
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