World Cup in Qatar by Jacob Borsellino
Jacob Borsellino
In 2022, the world’s most widely viewed sporting event
will be hosted by a Middle Eastern nation for the first time. Riddled with
controversy from the start, preparations for the World Cup in Qatar have opened
the country up to heavy criticism. As in Brazil in 2014, the social
complications in the nation have been thrust into the western eye. One Qatari
organizer, Nasser al-Khater, referred to the criticism as a “malicious attack.”
Yet, some criticism certainly holds more weight than other, so the question
must be posed; should Qatar be allowed to keep the World Cup? First, a
presentation of the issues at hand is necessary.
Being the first World Cup hosted by a Middle Eastern
nation, several cultural differences have led to criticism for the host. First
of all, due to Qatar’s incredibly hot climate, the tournament will be held
during the winter, when European leagues are in the middle of play. In order
for most European players to participate in the World Cup their local league
game will have to be rescheduled. While this has led to criticism of Qatari
planners it is certainly unjustified. Playing competitive matches in 120-degree
weather is simply ridiculous and the consequence of moving the tournament to
the winter represents nothing more than an inconvenience for European leagues. Furthermore,
this is an inconvenience which has been faced by other leagues throughout the
world in past years. While European leagues are significantly larger monetarily
and have more players participating in the World Cup than any other league, the
issue still represents a mere inconvenience. Criticism for Qatari organizers
along these lines is based around Euro-centric mentalities which should be over
looked as player safety must be brought into consideration. Another similarly
based criticism is over Qatar alcohol policy which prohibits public drunkenness
and having alcohol in public. Once again while this has brought anger from
foreign fans, it represents a mere inconvenience. A far more complex social
issue caused by the games are Qatar’s laws against homosexuality as homosexual
acts in public are banned in the nation. While we would certainly like to
expect homosexuals to have the same rights given to them as heterosexuals,
putting pressure on Qatar to do so raises questions of cultural particularity. However,
the same argument can be used against Qatari policy. I would argue that by
putting itself in the global spotlight, choosing to host the tournament, Qatar
has a social responsibility to be accepting of all culture’s which want to come
visit. I would propose a foreign immunity to anti-gay laws be put in place
prior to the tournament.
The most pressing, and justified, criticism of the Qatari
World Cup has to be the immense construction projects it has undertaken. Prior
to having its bid to host accepted, Qatar had no World Cup ready stadiums.
Therefore, it has begun a massive process of constructing stadiums and an
entire city. Lusail City, a 38 square – mile space on the nation’s coast, is
currently being built. Altogether the estimated construction cost of Qatar’s
plan was $200 billion but, the cost for the people building it has been much
greater. In 2014, The International Trade Union Confederation estimated that
4,000 workers would die in the process of completing Qatar’s construction
projects. That number was based off the 1,200 foreign workers that had already
died in the process. Furthermore, the nation is essentially using what has been
referred to as a modern slave force to build the projects. Workers, primarily
from Nepal and India have been withheld pay, forced to work in gruesome heat
without water, and made to live in camps worse than tenements. Furthermore,
many workers’ passports have been taken so they cannot return home as an escape
from these conditions. On top of that, the nation has nearly no use for the
massive stadiums being built after the 2022. Therefore, for the cost of workers
dying or being forced to work in atrocious conditions, Qatar’s elite will be
allowed to revel over eight stadiums which serve no purpose than to be monuments
of their status.
So, should Qatar be allowed to keep its World Cup? My
answer is an extraordinarily reluctant yes. Soccer is the world’s game and the
World Cup is its global celebration, the Middle East should be given its chance
to represent itself on a global stage. Furthermore, with six years already gone
since World Cup construction started in Qatar, there is too much already
invested to change hosts. That being said, Qatar must do a far better job of
regulating its working conditions. FIFA also deserves heavy criticism for
allowing the nation to undergo such drastic projects without making sure the
nation was legally bound to treating its workers as humans. However, given that
it there is fair evidence that FIFA officials took bribes to grant Qatar the
World Cup, it is no surprise that no standards were implemented. Finally, it is
also necessary to point out that, being the corrupt organization it is, FIFA
historically seizes every penny the World Cup creates in revenue. If it were to
act like the non-profit organization it declares itself to be, then revenues
from the tournament could be used to ensure the workers in future tournaments
are given living wages. In summary, it is due time for a Middle Eastern nation
to host the World Cup, but better regulation is necessary.
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