The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off this weekend with a new round of controversies relating to its host country. Qatar got the right to host this World Cup in 2010 amid allegations of corruption and bribery and has spent the years since covering up deaths of migrant workers racing to build the stadiums and roads needed for the massive tournament.
Qatar has been accused of “sportswashing”—using the excitement of the World Cup to cover up its human rights abuses—but as the event finally got started, the country seemed more interested in flexing its muscle in ways that have called attention to exactly how oppressive its regime is. On Monday, seven European nations announced that their team captains had abandoned plans to wear OneLove armbands due to a FIFA threat of severe sanctions against anyone doing so.
The rainbow armbands were intended as a statement of support for inclusion and opposition to discrimination—and FIFA, on behalf of Qatar, came down hard, threatening the players from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland with yellow cards.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play,” the soccer associations of those countries said in a joint statement, adding, “We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented.”
FIFA is making it clear that it places Qatar’s oppressive anti-LGBTQ policies over any values of or even lip service to inclusion. And the players folded. Yes, the World Cup is the high point of any player’s career, but they caved to a threat of an on-field penalty rather than speaking out against oppression.
Also on Monday, Iranian soccer fans arriving at the stadium with Persian flags were turned away unless they surrendered their flags, which represented a protest against Iran’s theocratic government—the official Iranian flag has an Islamic symbol and message, while the Persian flag does not. For their part, and in stark contrast to the European players who abandoned their OneLove armbands, Iran’s players refused to sing the national anthem, while in the stands some fans booed the government anthem and others sang the Persian national anthem.
In a move of much less significance, but one that showed FIFA’s willingness to bow to Qatar’s demands, fans were banned from buying beer at matches despite the host country having pledged to allow beer sales as part of its bid for the tournament and when it signed the contract to host. Rich people in luxury suites will still be able to drink at the matches, though. In 2014, FIFA didn’t let a host country’s ban on alcohol sales in stadiums stand in its way—it pressured Brazil to allow beer sales. This year is a different story. Qatar gets its way.
World Cup fans from around the world will face other restrictions, including most prominently the criminalization and harassment of LGBTQ people—at issue in the threats over the OneLove armbands—but also a requirement that if a pregnant woman needs prenatal care while in the country she be able to show a marriage certificate, the threat of arrest for any criticism of Qatar’s government, and some modesty requirements for how people dress. Some fans will face religious discrimination as well, including a prohibition on cooked kosher food and public Jewish prayer. Having Qatar host the World Cup was clearly a terrible mistake from the beginning, and by acceding to one after another of the country’s demands, FIFA continues to show what a moral disaster this is.
Qatar has been accused of “sportswashing”—using the excitement of the World Cup to cover up its human rights abuses—but as the event finally got started, the country seemed more interested in flexing its muscle in ways that have called attention to exactly how oppressive its regime is. On Monday, seven European nations announced that their team captains had abandoned plans to wear OneLove armbands due to a FIFA threat of severe sanctions against anyone doing so.
The rainbow armbands were intended as a statement of support for inclusion and opposition to discrimination—and FIFA, on behalf of Qatar, came down hard, threatening the players from England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland with yellow cards.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play,” the soccer associations of those countries said in a joint statement, adding, “We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented.”
FIFA is making it clear that it places Qatar’s oppressive anti-LGBTQ policies over any values of or even lip service to inclusion. And the players folded. Yes, the World Cup is the high point of any player’s career, but they caved to a threat of an on-field penalty rather than speaking out against oppression.
Also on Monday, Iranian soccer fans arriving at the stadium with Persian flags were turned away unless they surrendered their flags, which represented a protest against Iran’s theocratic government—the official Iranian flag has an Islamic symbol and message, while the Persian flag does not. For their part, and in stark contrast to the European players who abandoned their OneLove armbands, Iran’s players refused to sing the national anthem, while in the stands some fans booed the government anthem and others sang the Persian national anthem.
In a move of much less significance, but one that showed FIFA’s willingness to bow to Qatar’s demands, fans were banned from buying beer at matches despite the host country having pledged to allow beer sales as part of its bid for the tournament and when it signed the contract to host. Rich people in luxury suites will still be able to drink at the matches, though. In 2014, FIFA didn’t let a host country’s ban on alcohol sales in stadiums stand in its way—it pressured Brazil to allow beer sales. This year is a different story. Qatar gets its way.
World Cup fans from around the world will face other restrictions, including most prominently the criminalization and harassment of LGBTQ people—at issue in the threats over the OneLove armbands—but also a requirement that if a pregnant woman needs prenatal care while in the country she be able to show a marriage certificate, the threat of arrest for any criticism of Qatar’s government, and some modesty requirements for how people dress. Some fans will face religious discrimination as well, including a prohibition on cooked kosher food and public Jewish prayer. Having Qatar host the World Cup was clearly a terrible mistake from the beginning, and by acceding to one after another of the country’s demands, FIFA continues to show what a moral disaster this is.