With the tournament less than two years away, players are now teaming up with human rights activists, fans and sections of the media in questioning Qatar’s suitability to host to the 2022 World Cup, with the deaths of thousands of migrant workers on construction sites and the country ‘s big questions. human rights record.
After Norway’s Erling Haaland wore printed T-shirts reading “Human rights, on and off the pitch” on Wednesday, German players showed a similar but more progressive effort ahead of their comfortable victory on Iceland the next day.
“Our World Cup is coming up and there will be talks about it. We wanted to show that we are not avoiding that,” Leon Goretzka, who scored the opener in a 3–0 win, told the German broadcaster RTL.
“We wrote the letters ourselves. We have great reach and we can use it to set an example for the values we want to stand for. That was clear,” he said.
Club vs country
This is not the first time that Goretzka has expressed a social conscience, with his criticism of the most remote German political party in the AfD and how he co-founded the “We Kick Corona” campaign. with team-mate Joshua Kimmich earning him a reputation for average.
Such a principled public image is not so obvious for Goretzka and Kimmich club, Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga champions have been training in Qatar for a decade and Goretzka, Kimmich and the rest of the squad ran out for matches with the state-owned airline logo on the seam.
In March 2020, Bayern Munich fans held a flag complaining about their club’s handling of Qatar
The Human Rights Guard, Amnesty International and other rights groups have consistently criticized working conditions for stadium workers as “inhumane,” but despite criticism from Bayern fans Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, he says working with Qatar is the right thing to do.
“Everyone who deals with the Gulf states will assure you that, in terms of human rights and workers’ rights developments, Qatar has taken steps in the right direction,” he said recently.
Bayern is not the only club with links to the Gulf states that is widely regarded as a human rights abomination. Ilkay Gündogan, who plays for Manchester City in the UAE, is another German international who is effectively getting paid by the countries they want to stand up to. Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and many other major European clubs have links to governments that many spectators find unwelcome.
Norway wants a boycott
Nonetheless, recent public demonstrations have drawn more attention to an issue that denies death. British newspaper The Keeper Last month a report that nearly 6,500 workers have died at stadium construction sites since the 2010 Gulf World Cup was handed over to the Gulf state.
Erling Haaland was one of the Norwegian players to support the message of rights
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has always supported one of his pet projects, but his group seems to have reduced their long-term hostility to anything they do. political respect.
“FIFA believes in freedom of speech, and in the power of football as a force for good,” FIFA said in a statement following Norway’s victory over Gibraltar. “No disciplinary case in this case will be opened by FIFA.”
Organizers are demanding transparency
Many would suggest that FIFA adopts a lax-like approach to Qatari organizers. But the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is responsible for the operation of the World Cup, is debating the claims made by the Guardian and human rights groups.
“We have always been clear about the health and safety of workers on projects directly related to Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup,” a spokesperson said Thursday. “Since construction began in 2014, there have been three work-related deaths and 35 non-work-related deaths.
“The SC has investigated each case, learning lessons to avoid any recurrence in the future. The SC has published all incidents through public statements and or Annual Staff Benefit Progress Reports.”
Whatever the figures you believe, pressure on Qatar is going up just as the build – up to the tournament ‘s fixtures is going into gear.