FFrom the Beijing Winter Olympics to the Saudi-funded LIV golf tournament, 2022 has already offered plenty of evidence of the value of sportwashing for states with a global image problem. The upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, just five months away, will complete a treble of events designed to increase the soft power of authoritarian regimes.
The decision to award World Cup hosting rights to an extremely hot Gulf state with a poor human rights record has caused widespread bewilderment, suspicion and dismay. Last November, the US Department of Justice alleged that officials working for world football’s governing body, Fifa, were bribed before the decisive 2010 vote. But since then, the global spotlight on Qatar has provided an opportunity for human rights activists. Lobbying on behalf of a vast migrant workforce, which has historically been subjected to brutal exploitative practices, has yielded tangible results. A minimum wage was introduced, albeit at a very low rate. The abusive kafala system – which tied workers to a single employer – has been largely dismantled and, in most cases, exit permits are no longer required to leave the country.
This is obviously welcome progress. But there is still a long way to go before the rights of a predominantly South Asian workforce, hailing from some of the world’s poorest countries, are properly protected. The Guardian has been reporting since 2013 on the need for action to protect migrant workers who provide the labor that fuels the ambitious “nation-building” programs of Qatar and its neighboring states. According to an analysis published last year, thousands of people have died in Qatar since 2010. A minority were directly involved in the construction of new stadiums. Many more will have been employed in an unprecedented construction program including a new airport, public transport systems and hotels.
Unexpected deaths of previously healthy young men remain unexplained or attributed to natural causes. An Amnesty International report released in April found that some migrant workers were subjected to conditions amounting to forced labor, with illegal long hours in intense heat and no rest time. Other investigations have exposed wage abuse, with some workers not being paid for five months.
Britain’s two largest trade unions, Unite and Unison, have joined Amnesty and Human Rights Watch in calling on Gareth Southgate’s England team to publicly support two proposals to strengthen migrant worker rights in Qatar. The first is the creation of a center for migrant workers, which would offer advice, support and representation in a country where joining a union is still illegal. The second concerns the compensation of relatives of workers who died while employed in major public works projects. Amnesty and a coalition of other human rights organizations and fan groups have suggested that Fifa set aside $440 million for this purpose, an amount equivalent to the proposed World Cup prize money. With profits expected to top $7 billion, that doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
In his remarkable ‘Dear England’ letter, written ahead of last summer’s Euro 2020 football tournament, Mr Southgate wrote that he and his players had a duty to use their profile and platform to ‘put debates on the table, raise awareness and educate”. On issues such as anti-racism, they have done so with great success. Team captain Harry Kane said talks are ongoing between the players to take a collective stance on human rights issues in Qatar. They and the FA should follow their counterparts in the Netherlands and Denmark and lend their support to these proposals. A positive legacy can still emerge from a controversial World Cup.
