All eyes will soon be on Qatar with the 2022 World Cup just around the corner, but the tournament has been one of the most controversial and disruptive to date.
England and Wales will be among the nations seeking glory in what will be the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup.
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The decision to award Qatar the World Cup has long been controversial
Moreover, Qatar will also be the smallest nation by the size of its territory to have hosted the most famous and fabulous football tournament.
Yet no single fact about the Arab state is why it has been shrouded in controversy ever since FIFA announced them as hosts in 2010.
Where is Qatar?
The country is located in the Middle East, more precisely on the Asian continent – on the northeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
It shares a border with eastern Saudi Arabia as well as maritime borders with Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Qatar is expected to host 1.2 million people, nearly 40% of its population, for the World Cup, according to FIFA.
It beat bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States in 2010 after securing an outright majority of 14 on the fourth ballot.
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German players held up a ‘We for 30’ banner to protest human rights issues in Qatar last year
Why is the World Cup in Qatar controversial?
Accusations over the treatment of migrant workers and a poor human rights record have plagued the Gulf state of late.
Male homosexuality is punishable by up to three years in prison, and same-sex marriages are not recognized by the government.
Women’s rights are also far worse than in other parts of the world, with women needing permission from a male guardian to leave Qatar if they are unmarried and under the age of 25.
In addition, reporting of sexual violence remains a major concern, due to precedents set by Qatari law.
Several recent cases have seen victims accused of extramarital sex – a crime that carries a prison sentence – instead of being offered support.
If the accused is a Muslim, he also risks flogging, which is prohibited by international human rights law.
The British government has warned survivors that their passports could be withheld during any police investigation, while emergency contraception is not available without a marriage license.
Hummel has released a statement about his “mitigated” Danish kit for the 2022 World Cup, saying it was a protest against Qatar’s human rights record.
Adidas, which is one of the main sponsors of the World Cup, recently supported a compensation fund for migrant workers.
Due to all these concerns, FIFA has faced questions over the past 12 years over the legitimacy of the bidding process which saw Qatar become hosts.
Fifteen of the 22 FIFA executive committee members who took part in the selection have since faced criminal charges or been banned by world football’s governing body.
This includes former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who years later publicly admitted the decision was a mistake.
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Erling Haaland and his Norwegian teammates wore these T-shirts in June 2021
Harry Kane will wear an anti-discrimination armband during England’s World Cup matches in Qatar.
He will support the OneLove campaign against discrimination, with captains from nine other nations, including Wales, taking part throughout the tournament this winter.
Qatar World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater says fans can display rainbow flags but “it’s a matter of FIFA” if approval is given as to whether Kane and Gareth Bale can wear multicolored armbands.
He added: “It’s a sports tournament that people want to come and enjoy. Turning it into a platform for political statements, I don’t think that’s good for the sport.
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Kane wore the armband for the first time in the loss to Italy last month
What was said?
“All we ask is that people respect the culture,” Mr Al Khater said. “At the end of the day, as long as you don’t do anything that harms others, if you don’t destroy public property, as long as you behave in a way that is not harmful, then everyone is welcome and you have nothing to fear.
He added: “Everyone is welcome here and everyone will feel safe when they come to Qatar.”
As to whether this invitation extends to LBTQ+ fans, for example, holding hands in public, Mr. Al Khater added, “Yes. If I held your hand now and walked down the street for hours and hours and hours, no one would tell us.
Instagram @hummelsports
The Danish national team’s kit supplier has made its stance clear on Qatar as hosts
Fifa
adidas have made statements on the World Cup but remain a main sponsor
Questions have been raised over whether England should boycott the World Cup in Qatar and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan weighed in on the debate in March.
“First of all, it’s unfair to put footballers in this position,” Jordan said.
“They should be aware of the backdrop of the situation surrounding stadium construction in this country.
“While we know the western standards we want are not replicated in Qatar, it’s not necessarily our job, and certainly not our footballers’ job to go to another country and tell them what should be their societal norms, protocols and approaches.
“We know in the West that being homophobic and misogynistic is not a trait we want to see in the world, but it’s not our gift to go to Qatar and lecture them about how their society is. united, and that is certainly not the case”. t the gift of our footballers.
“Now you extrapolate that, and if you want to tell these footballers, you want to have an opinion, you are entitled to have one.
“If you then want to take advantage of the neutral space of the football pitch to broaden opinion, then why not go all out? If you want to do that and make a sacrifice. It’s all the length and the scope of the argument.
Watch the World Cup with talkSPORT
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