Qatar 2022: why this year's World Cup could be the most controversial in history
Protester gives "red card" to FIFA
It's the kind of headline FIFA and the organizers of the World Cup in Qatar didn't want to see, just days before the start of the tournament.
An official ambassador for the tournament said homosexuality was "injury to the mind". The statement by former Qatari soccer player Khalid Salman to German broadcaster ZDF added to the list of controversies surrounding the World Cup — which includes issues linked to workers' rights, freedom of expression and the war in Ukraine.
In the face of so many controversies, some analysts say this will be the most politicized World Cup in history.
"My initial hope was that, as they did with the improvements for migrant workers, they [the organizers] would come up with some measures to improve the lives of LGBT+ people," says Paul Amann, founder of Kop Outs, the team's LBGB+ supporter group. English Liverpool.
He was invited to visit Qatar in 2019 with his husband as part of a tour organized by the World Cup committee.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, with punishments ranging from fines to the death penalty.
But World Cup officials said "everyone is welcome" to visit the country to watch the games and said no one would be discriminated against.
But episodes like the Khalid Salman interview reversed Paul's initial optimism about the competition.
"Sadly, since being pressured to make changes to improve things, Qatar has actually doubled down on discrimination against LGBT+."
Paul says he is not considering going to the World Cup because of reports of gays being arrested and the use of conversion therapy.
"It is inconceivable to think about going now that it has become clear that the Qatari authorities continue to mistreat LGBT+ people."
Player protests
German players protest ahead of World Cup qualifiers
João Fellet tries to understand how Brazilians reached the current degree of division.
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In addition to criticism from international politicians and human rights groups, there were also protests within the camp.
Denmark will wear a uniform with low visibility for the country and brand logos on the shirt.
The team captain — as well as the captain of the nine other countries in attendance, including England, France, Germany and Belgium — will also wear the armband with a rainbow logo from OneLove, a campaign that promotes inclusion and equality.
Despite a request from the national teams, FIFA has not yet clarified whether this armband violates World Cup rules that prohibit players from making political statements during matches.
For Gregory Ioannidis, an academic and sports lawyer, FIFA struggles to try to draw the line of what should be considered a political demonstration.
"The players in Norway recently put a statement on their shirt, the question is, 'Does this amount to a political statement?' I don't know, can you define for me what a political statement is? problem FIFA is facing at the moment."
In a Cup Qualifying match, Norwegian players wore shirts that read "Human rights on and off the field".
Paul Amann believes that gay rights are "fundamental social issues, it's not about politics" and that players shouldn't be penalized for talking about it.
But it is only when the Cup starts that fans and players will find out how these rules will be applied.
workers' rights
World Cup stadium under construction in Qatar
Support for construction workers in Qatar is another issue raised by some activists.
"I think it's very wrong for FIFA to say, 'Oh, it's a political demonstration, so there will be some kind of sanction against you,'" says Mustafa Qadri, founder of Equidem, a labor and human rights consultancy.
His company spoke to workers in Qatar, including those who helped build stadiums for the World Cup, and found that many had to pay to get jobs, had problems receiving their wages and were forced to work in very high temperatures.
Some reports say that more than 6,000 migrant workers have died since 2010, when Qatar was announced as the host of the 2022 World Cup.
However, the Qatari government says there have been just 37 deaths among workers on the World Cup stadium construction sites, and that only three of those are work-related.
The country's authorities say they have abolished the "kafala" system that forced foreign workers to need permission from their employers to change jobs in Qatar. This, according to the Qatari government, would be proof of how the country has progressed to improve labor relations for immigrants.
But Mustafa says that while some reforms are "definitely benefiting some workers", the changes "clearly have not gone far enough".
Corruption in Qatar's candidacy
Criticism of LGBT and workers' rights led many to question FIFA's decision to host the World Cup in Qatar.
The process was marred by accusations of widespread corruption, with investigations carried out by prosecutors in Switzerland and the US Department of Justice in 2015.
Qatar has always denied wrongdoing, which was confirmed by an investigation conducted by FIFA itself in 2017.
Some analysts defend that hosting the World Cup in Qatar is a way of helping the country to open up and promote changes. But Mustafa feels that while important issues have been raised about Qatar, an opportunity to do more for human rights has been missed.
Ionnidis believes that one of the reasons FIFA may have awarded the tournament to Qatar is to try to bring about change.
"They want to create an inclusive environment. And if you open this country up to the world, you can persuade it to take a different view in terms of individual freedoms."
But criticism of violations of gay and migrant rights has many questioning whether FIFA has made the right decision on Qatar.
Russia
FIFA announced in February that Russia was kicked out of the World Cup
FIFA was praised by the international community for deciding to expel Russia from the World Cup during the qualifiers.
While it is not uncommon for countries to be suspended for violating football or administrative rules, it is rare to see a team expelled from the Cup for a non-sports related offence.
Similar punishments only happened to Germany and Japan after World War II and to South Africa during the apartheid era.
"FIFA is trying to keep political statements off the field, but FIFA itself is a political organisation. Inevitably, FIFA has to take political decisions," says Ionnidis.
The decision to oust Russia only came after other countries in their bracket – Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden – refused to play the Russians in protest of their invasion of Ukraine.
FIFA could have "risked a revolution" if it had not acted against the Russians, Ionnidis believes.
Remodeling
Since 2010, when Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup, the decision has been the subject of controversy.
Rebutting the criticism, the emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, said: "For decades, the Middle East has suffered discrimination, and I have found that this discrimination comes largely from people who do not know us and, in some cases, refuse to to get to know us".
He said some people had "launched attacks at a pace never seen before". The emir said he was "proud of the development, reform and progress" of his country.
But with protests and controversy mounting on and off the pitch, this World Cup will likely continue to make headlines for more than just football.
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