Qatar World Cup 2022
The World Cup began yesterday, despite being marred in controversy with allegations of human rights abuses committed by the host country, Qatar. It is the first time Qatar has hosted the World Cup, being the first Arab and Islamic country to do so.
The reason why Qatar has come under fire is because of their record for human rights abuses. For example, the Al Bayt Stadium was built specifically for the World Cup, largely by migrant workers. There have been a large number of deaths associated with the stadium, as the workers faced poor conditions in terms of pay and hours. In addition, homosexuality is illegal, and Western countries have raised concerns over how fans and players would be treated in the country.
England and Wales along with a few other countries were planning to wear a 'One Love' armband in protest of the laws in Qatar, but just now, the FA has announced they will not be doing so, as the captains could receive a yellow card.
The issue here has become political rather than about the sport. The last host of the World Cup was Russia in 2018, and whilst there was some controversy, this was nowhere near the amount that has developed since Qatar was selected as the host. Western countries have criticised Qatar for their record, and chosen minute forms of symbolism to oppose the politics. However, a better statement would have been boycotting the World Cup, as a statement that could not be ignored. England has the international status for this to be reported widely, and perhaps other countries would have followed suit. If Qatar's politics are such an egregious attack on human rights, England should not be playing there. Going over brings fans, which in turn brings custom for a country that the West is supposedly opposed to.
Personally, I think the controversy is all hypocritical, because England would realistically not have boycotted the Cup. The next host is the USA, and they will not receive even a tenth of the criticism Qatar has, and look at their human rights record. Abortion has recently been banned in several states after the overturn of Roe v Wade; this is an attack on women and yet countries seem to be picking and choosing their battles. The point is that Qatar does have a bad record for human rights, but no country has a perfect record. The UK itself, the way we have treated asylum seekers and migrants in camps, is appalling.
This does not mean that we should not stand up for human rights in Qatar, but that we should stand up for human rights everywhere, rather than choosing smaller countries to make an example of. The USA and the UK should be leading by example, rather than throwing stones in glasshouses.
Politics is always going to have a role to play, but sports can become a tool to enact change on the international stage, given that the World Cup is the biggest event in the world watched by billions.
As said by Nelson Mandela:
"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair"
England plays Iran today, so we will see how that goes. I hope that the discussion of human rights will force countries to reevaluate their actions and their own record before criticising others. By admitting the issues, countries can then work on them together, with sports acting as the medium to have this dialogue.
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