The 40,000-seat Al Wakrah Stadium is a venue for matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Photo / AP, File
The 40,000-seat Al Wakrah Stadium is a venue for matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Photo / AP, File
EDITORIAL
It isn’t easy being a sports fan some days. And being a football fan with a social conscience may be a conundrum tomorrow as the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
The first World Cup to be held in the Middle East is being staged at a ridiculousexpense. At a reported price of $200 billion, the 2022 World Cup will cost four times the Tokyo Olympics.
Skeptics say the country wants to use the prestige of the World Cup to makeover its image as an oil producer with few international connections and a shaky human rights record. Qatar ranks 19th in oil exports and also shares the world’s largest underwater natural gas field with Iran.
Environmentalists and human rights campaigners have joined in the condemnation of what they call “sports-washing”, a term derived by combining sports with whitewashing.
Entertainers and celebrities have joined the critical wave.
Scots legend and life-long football fanatic Rod Stewart said he turned down a $2m cheque to belt out a tune or two at the cup.
He told The Sunday Times it was “not right to go there”, citing treatment of the country’s LGBT community and the labour practices used to construct the stadiums.
Dua Lipa, and Mel C - AKA Sporty Spice - have also boycotted the tournament.
Rod Stewart - who is New Zealand-bound in 2023 - won't be performing at the World Cup. Photo / AP
Some participants are reportedly intending to make statements or stage demonstrations of their concerns at the event. The England team was said to be considering taking the knee over the treatment of migrant workers.
Another issue is the carbon footprint. Qatar is running daily shuttle flights to games from neighbouring Oman and the UAE to take pressure off limited accommodation in Doha. The rising carbon footprint was one of many issues brought up at Cop 27 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference- last week regarding the host state.
As with any major event, there are concerns about whether the facilities will be as world class as the spectacle promises. Photos and videos emerging from inside Qatar have been likened to the catastrophic Fyre Festival, with shipping container-style rooms set up across the desert.
This photo apparently shows accommodation for fans at the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022. Photo / @WhiteHartLiz, via Twitter
However, Qatar’s chief World Cup organiser said attacks on the Gulf state were because it “competed as equals and snatched” the World Cup from rival bidders. A senior member of the Qatar Football Association called European critics “the enemy”.
But, with the tournament being broadcast to hundreds of countries and 32 nations taking part, it is going to be almost impossible to ignore.
With human rights abuses taking place in countries, communities and homes around the world, where should boycotts draw the line? The United Nations Committee Against Torture has repeatedly ruled that New Zealanders have been mistreated while in state care.
Treaty obligations to Māori are stained with neglect and appalling exploitation, and their over-representation in prisons and mortality rates remain a blight.
There are positives to the football world cup too. The event will showcase cultures to a massive world audience as the largest global platform ever for Algerian raï and Lebanese rap music. The finest footballers in the world are not always seen on prime time television and can turn up playing for the unlikeliest teams.
Sporting contests are also an opportunity to set aside conflicts and celebrate our commonalities.
As with the boycotting entertainers, we can choose to focus on the host nation’s failings and the questionable ethics of the organising body, and turn our attention to other distractions that we find more palatable.
Or we can consider that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and tune in for the greatest sporting show on Earth.
