MIAMI, United States. — Qatar’s nomination to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup raised hives from the very moment FIFA decided (more than a decade ago) to award the event’s venue to that Middle Eastern nation.
The decision seemed more political than sporting: Qatar was not the country with the best conditions to organize the competition, but the growing influence of Qatari power in the world of football had to be rewarded, fundamentally translated into large injections of capital.
Although the high temperatures would make it almost impossible to play the tournament in the summer and would force the tournament to change its date —which ended up happening— it was convenient for Qatar to have its World Cup, even if the organizers had to pay a record amount of money for it.
Although the Soccer World Cup usually becomes a universal party, several events linked to the organization of the Qatari event have been under the scrutiny of international organizations.
the overall movement Amnesty International (AI) He came to denounce the exploitation of migrants who worked in the construction of the stadiums.
“Migrants building a modern stadium for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar face abuse and exploitation, while FIFA makes huge profits,” AI said in a statement published in 2016.
On that occasion, Amnesty International and other organizations called on FIFA and sponsors to act immediately to protect Qatari migrant workers from the abuses they faced there.
Some footballers have also criticized the choice of Qatar as the venue based on these same elements.
“I am totally against the World Cup being played in Qatar. Designating that country was a mistake by the federations”, he reiterated a few weeks ago Toni Kroos, a German soccer player for Real Madrid, in statements offered to the channel ZSF.
Although the midfielder has never called for a boycott of the event, he has asked that human rights violations in the Asian country be taken into account.
Kroos himself, who will not play the World Cup after retiring from the German team, had denounced in 2021 that “immigrants are subjected, they work tirelessly in 50-degree heat, they suffer from insufficient food, without drinking water and insane temperatures” .
On that occasion, Kroos also recalled that there is persecution of homosexuals in Qatar.
“Working conditions are one thing, but there is also one point or another, I will say, there is still, for example, that homosexuality in Qatar is a criminal offense and is also prosecuted,” said the German player.
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