2022 Qatar World Cup Controversies, Explained

The selection of Qatar as the host nation of the 2022 World Cup was made in 2010, bringing resounding joy to the streets of the tiny nation. Given that it was the first time a country from the Middle East was hosting the tournament, the decision was a huge deal for the region, which holds less than three million people with an area smaller than that of Connecticut. Qatar is the smallest country to ever host the event, but as one of the world’s largest exporters of liquified natural gas and petroleum, it was more than ready to undertake the massive financial burden.

Nevertheless, there were some obvious issues with having Qatar as the host of the renowned tournament. First and foremost was the lack of infrastructure in the country. Since most of the country is covered by desert, the difficulty of laying the groundwork for new engineering projects was multiplied. To organize the cup, Qatar had to build seven new stadiums, a transportation system, new roads, and 105 hotels, not to mention upgrading an existing airport and creating an entirely new futuristic city dubbed “The City of Football.” None of these things came at a small price, though, especially when counting the labor required to construct the modern real estate of Lusail City. Qatar ultimately spent about $220 billion on the World Cup, totaling more than all previous World Cups and Olympic Games combined.

Ironically, the nation that spent by far the most money on any sports event in history ran into major issues with human rights, mainly involving the reception of migrant workers. The majority of these laborers came from impoverished regions of South Asian countries like India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Their treatment was appalling. Forced to work under inhumane conditions and left with less money than they started with, migrant workers who were brought into Qatar could neither leave the country nor switch jobs without explicit consent from their employers. They were also stranded to work in temperatures reaching up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit and forced to live in poorly managed camps under unsanitary conditions. For many, the initial high hopes of sending money back to their families were utterly crushed due to the brutal treatment allowed by the Qatari government and construction agencies.

In a PBS NewsHour interview with Anish Adhikari, a migrant worker from Nepal said, “The water we got was almost 90 percent ice. We asked why they did that and told them it was impossible to drink water like that. They said they froze it because if they provided normal water, the workers would drink more.” In addition, many workers were compelled to sign false agreements that took away their passports until they worked for a certain period of time. Some were not paid for their labor at all, eliciting multiple media outlets from around the world to accuse Qatar of facilitating forced labor and modern slavery. According to estimates from multiple organizations, over 6,500 workers died during Qatar’s World Cup construction preparations—a staggering amount compared to the 21 that died building arenas for the preceding World Cup in 2018.

Of course, a hefty part of the blame must be placed on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the association overseeing the World Cup and most other soccer-related events in the world. Given that FIFA is ultimately responsible for the selection of the World Cup hosts, they knew beforehand the perils that came with having Qatar as a candidate. FIFA nonetheless went through with the decision to grant the title to the tiny, ill-prepared nation, raising suspicions of bribery from multiple sources. On the “Qatar World Cup” episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Oliver comedically called FIFA a “cartel-like group of scumbags and assorted criminals who occasionally put on soccer matches.” FIFA has been notorious for poorly-organized tournaments and suspicions of bribery, something especially evident in World Cup 2022. In response to the heated criticism of Qatar as the host venue, Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, gave a bizarre and frankly uninformed speech about the circumstances. When questioned by reporters, he defended and even praised the host country, saying, “What we Europeans have been doing for the past 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before we start giving moral lessons to people.”

Furthermore, LGBTQ+ people’s rights were clearly suppressed by both Qatar and FIFA. Several European national teams were planning to have their captains wear “OneLove” armbands signifying promotion and support of the LGBTQ+ community. However, shortly before the tournament, FIFA issued a statement warning that players wearing the said armband would be given a yellow card, showing compliance with Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Additionally, homophobic chants were heard at the very first game of the tournament, and FIFA has yet to take any disciplinary action about the situation.

Other important issues gradually surfaced surrounding women’s and Jewish fans’ rights. Qatari women need consent from their male guardians to marry, study abroad, travel, and receive certain reproductive care. Also, sex outside of marriage is illegal, and women must wear clothing that covers their shoulders and most of their legs. These extreme restrictions added more dissatisfaction to FIFA’s selection of the country as the host venue. Prior to the tournament, Qatar stated it would provide Kosher food and allow public Jewish prayer services at the World Cup. In spite of those words, the country recently banned both, with FIFA remaining quiet.

All in all, having an underprepared country like Qatar host the World Cup was a human rights disgrace that should have been foreseen by FIFA prior to making the selection. However, the corrupt organization turned a blind eye to the abuse occurring to migrant workers, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and fans of religious backgrounds other than Islam. To restore its reputation and make amends for these mistreated people, it is imperative that FIFA seeks legal action or at least condemns the actions of the Qatari government.