The Qatar 2022 World Cup began last Sunday and we review the problems it has faced:
FIFA awarded the tournament to the Middle Eastern country in 2010, with the understanding that it would be held during the summer, where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. In 2015, FIFA recommended that Qatar host a shorter World Cup in the colder months of November and December, a move that put world soccer’s governing body on a collision course with Europe’s top leagues.
The calendar shift to Northern Hemisphere winter marked the first time the World Cup was moved from its usual June and July slot, when Europe’s lucrative local leagues have wrapped up their seasons. The leagues will pause their 2022-23 campaigns to allow players to compete in the World Cup from November 20 to December 18.
Corruption accusations
Organizers of the 2022 World Cup have strongly denied allegations by the US Justice Department that bribes were paid to secure votes when hosting rights to the tournament were awarded 12 years ago.
Suspicion and rumors have long surrounded the FIFA executive’s 2010 vote to hand over the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar, with prosecutors filing direct and formal allegations relating to both tournaments in an indictment. in 2020.
Qatar’s Supreme Commission for Implementation and Legacy, which is responsible for implementing the necessary infrastructure and for planning and operations in the host country, rejected the allegations. Qatar 2022 CEO Nasser Al Khater revealed that with a year to go before the tournament was held that Qatar had been “unfairly treated and scrutinized” for several years.
Well-being of immigrant workers
Qatar has faced harsh criticism from human rights groups for its treatment of migrant workers, who along with other foreigners make up the bulk of the country’s population. A 48-page Amnesty International report, “Reality Check 2021”, claims practices such as wage withholding and charging employees to change jobs continue to exist, despite 2014 labor reforms.
Qatar’s government said its labor system continues to be improved, but denied allegations in the report that thousands of migrant workers in the 2022 World Cup host country were being held back and exploited.
Amnesty and other human rights groups have called on FIFA to compensate Qatari migrant workers for human rights abuses, setting aside $440 million, an amount equivalent to the World Cup prize pool. Football associations from 10 European countries, including England and Germany, have pressured FIFA to take action to improve the rights of migrant workers in Qatar.
FIFA has written to World Cup teams urging them to focus on Qatari football and not let the sport be swayed by ideological or political battles.