Anger can be a useful tool. It can clarify, it can focus, it can raise awareness, and it can spur action. It’s less helpful when it does a better job of making the offended person feel good about themselves than addressing whatever caused them to offend in the first place.
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A lot of people are offended by World Cup 2022 in Qatar. it was handed back in 2010 under dubious circumstances at best and corruption at worst, (read Garcia’s report and your own decisions) by a 24-person FIFA executive committee (of those 24, two were prevented from voting because they were being investigated for corruption; 14 were subsequently arrested. banned, formally charged, prosecuted or found guilty of corruption or ethics violations). And of course, it has been given to a country that has a very poor record when it comes to the treatment of migrant workers, whether in terms of wages, workplace conditions and safety, and basic rights to employment. do.
These are reasons to be offended. The question is how do you turn the outrage into something productive, when the tournament is less than 10 days old?
And in that sense, statement made this week by the football associations of Belgium, Denmark, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales going in the direction of cutting out the noise and focusing on what is possible lead to meaningful and tangible lasting change. Because the simple truth of the matter is that in just over five weeks the World Cup will be over, the circus will be moving out of town and very few people other than those directly affected will spend much time thinking. about a corrupt FIFA Executive Council in 2010 or the plight of migrant workers in Doha. (Or, for that matter, many other countries in the Gulf, where conditions are often worse).
If we care, what can we do about it?
We’re not going to travel back in time to 2010 and hand out the World Cup to someone else. That’s practically as expected of teams that qualify to boycott the tournament at this stage. It won’t happen, and more importantly, it won’t affect those affected.
What? maybe happens – and what FIFA should work towards – is what the statement calls for. Remind the Qatari government that they and FIFA have provided guarantees for the “safety, security and inclusion” of all World Cup fans, including LGBTQ+ supporters. And continue to insist to have “concrete answers” to address the plight of migrant workers, specifically a compensation fund for those killed or injured and a migrant worker center where local attorneys can ensure their rights are not violated.
Of course, you can get all the effect on it, as Danish kit supplier Hummel, who “downgraded” the branding on World Cup jerseys to protest against the treatment of migrant workers (and put out a newsletter to make sure everyone was aware of it).
Or you can educate yourself – that’s what these countries did. They recognize that Qatar has begun reforming its labor system since 2017 and has made “remarkable improvements” (I’m not saying that, it’s Amnesty International). Qatar has worked with trade unions like the International Labor Organization to adopt better labor standards, they have taken to labor courts and they have ratified human rights treaties.
However, as Amnesty International writes, abuses are still rife and there is a long way to go. Hence the practical suggestion of a fully funded center where workers can report abuses and irregularities, learn about their rights and get legal advice. Crucially, the center will need to be up and running for the long haul and keep looking for workers once the world takes notice.
Then there is the compensation fund. If a worker in a developed country (or indeed, some developing countries) dies and it is work-related, their family will receive compensation. If a worker is injured or injured at work, they will be compensated. It’s not particularly expensive or difficult to make. It’s just a question of will to make it happen.
FIFA has promised to push Qatar on these changes. The countries that have made statements are holding them accountable and let’s hope they continue to do so. It doesn’t take a genius to know that post-World Cup FIFA will have very little leverage in this area, which is why it’s so important to have it happen now.
Are these your baby’s incremental steps? Right. But without traveling back in time to 2010 and, so to speak, given the kinds of human rights claims that FIFA, under different administration, made in 2019, these are well-meaning goals. as much as we can hope for in the short term.
Are they enough? But sometimes, the perfect is the enemy of the good. And sometimes you have to act fast and get what you can. Channel that outrage when it’s there and do it in a way that makes sense. Because the cycles of news and attention span as long as they are, the sad reality is that Christmas comes, few people will care, people will move on and migrant workers will still be. there.
