I'm Boycotting the World Cup and it Sucks
A heads up that this article won’t be like anything else I’ve written. But rest assured, next week I’ll return with more insightful interviews and actionable steps to improve your coaching.
I’m boycotting the World Cup this year and it sucks. A week has passed and I haven’t watched a single minute, checked one score, or clicked on any links related to it. I’m not participating in anything that tangentially supports the World Cup and I hate it.
Obviously I love football, soccer, voetbal, whatever you want to call it, and for the last ten years I’ve been lucky enough to make a living from the game. It has changed my life, given me purpose, and provided me with some of the most meaningful relationships I could ever ask for. And yet here it is, when the game is on the biggest stage, when the whole world turns its head to watch, when I can finally share my biggest passion with my non-soccer friends and compatriots… and I’m sitting idly by.
I’m not writing this to try and convince you to boycott the tournament or to feel guilty about watching. Soccer plays a huge part in a lot of people’s lives, and after having to endure a few tough years, this tournament will be the highlight of 2022 for many fans.
There’s so many worthy causes to support and it’s impossible to help them all. Everyone must pick and choose their causes based a variety of personal factors, and this is one I’ve just happened to participate in.
This article will examine the motivations behind why Qatar wanted to host the World Cup, how they got it and then explain why I’m deciding to boycott. I highly encourage you to read this even if you think you’re familiar with what’s happening, but if you don’t have the time, at least check out the last section and consider clicking through the list of sources at the end.
Why Qatar Wanted the World Cup
As we all know, when Qatar won the World Cup bid a host of issues immediately presented themselves: the tournament is played in the summer when temperatures in the desert country soar over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they didn’t have the stadiums or infrastructure needed to host the games, there is a distinct lack of footballing culture compared to other countries in the region, and there’s a litany of human rights abuses that are administered by an authoritarian regime.
These issues were brazenly clear from the beginning and it was always going to be an uphill battle for the small country to host the world’s largest sporting event. So the question asks itself: Why would Qatar submit itself to international criticism just to have some soccer games played on their soil?
Sportswashing and Much More
The short answer is sportswashing, which is when countries use sports to change their international reputation. Some historical examples are Nazi Germany hosting the 1936 Olympics, Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” held by a despotic Zaire government in 1975, and Argentina’s 1978 World Cup that took place under a military dictatorship.
While an argument can be made that sportswashing is no longer effective due to the availability of easy-to-access information made possible by the internet, it’s still a practice widely used. China hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, and professional football teams – Manchester City, PSG, Newcastle United – are being bought by state-controlled businesses who have dubious human rights records.
But sportswashing does not encapsulate all of Qatar’s reasons for holding the tournament. To better understand its motivations we have to look at the context Qatar exists in.
Soft Power
Qatar is a geographically small country (about the size of Connecticut) with a population size to match, and its abundance of natural gas and oil deposits has given the country incredible wealth.
Historically, world politics have been dominated by hard power. Countries who had strong military forces could use their armies to establish economic world orders that would favor them – as any reading of colonial history will tell you.
Qatar was not immune to these outside influences. In the 1960s – after a shared history where the English provided protection to Qatar in exchange for control over their foreign policy – the British government helped establish Qatar as an international country, propping up an authoritarian regime that derived great wealth by selling their natural resources on the international market and ensuring that the UK would receive a good price and favorable relationship.
During the 20th century the “military is might” paradigm changed as countries become more democratic, globalization connected national economies, and the flow of information created a more educated populace. Soft power, financial tools, and the power of a globally growing middle class replaced the traditional methods of creating world orders.
These new dynamics suited Qatar who never had the means to create a large army. They instead leveraged their financial strength to develop relationships with dominant world powers and grow their international reputation. Qatar’s geographic proximity to the Middle East and Africa – an area where economic powers are looking to invest – and their established relationships with Western countries makes Qatar a perfect conduit. They can use their financial ties to work with outside governments and use their geographical presence to connect with developing countries.
An example of this was seen when the US withdrew from Afghanistan. Afghanis fled the country and food insecurity ravaged the nation, but Qatar stepped in to provide humanitarian aid. Using their relationships to the Taliban regime, Qatar then brought them to the global stage and initiated talks with the European Union, United States, Russia, etc. This legitimized Qatar’s regional power and marked them as a significant player in Middle Eastern geopolitics.
Qatar has its feet in both camps at the same time – noted by the fact that even before the US withdrew from Afghanistan, Qatar was working with the Taliban while also housing the United States Army’s largest air force base in the area. They are an authoritarian government that commits human rights violations while simultaneously allying and conducting business with democratic nations.
By hosting the World Cup, Qatar can strengthen relationships with Western countries by exchanging revenues and portray themselves as a modernizing country who is working to improve their human rights record. This narrative also benefits Western countries who can highlight Qatar as a progressive ally in the Middle East while glossing over the fact that they’re supporting an autocratic regime.
Before Qatar was awarded the World Cup most people probably didn’t know where it was, much less that it was a country. But Qatar has used their wealth wisely by starting a news outlet (Al Jazeera), purchasing sports teams (PSG), and using brand advertising (Qatar Airways) all to the effect of making their country well-known.
And this has real-world implications. If countries don’t know you exist, or at least the population of powerful democratic countries, it leaves you more susceptible to unwanted foreign interference. Some international relations experts believe Saudi Arabia’s 2017 would-be invasion of Qatar was called off specifically because Qatar had become more widely known around the globe. And if that’s even partially why the Saudi Arabian incursion was halted, then Qatar’s investment in hosting the World Cup has already paid off.
The 3 Reasons Why I’m Boycotting
1. Corrupt Bidding Process
When Qatar first put in their bid to host the 2022 World Cup their ability to host the competition was ranked dead last out of all the contenders. It was too hot, there wasn’t enough infrastructure, there were public relations issues, and they had no history with football. But somehow Qatar managed to earn more votes than other nations who were better suited for the job. How did this happen?
First, there are 211 countries who are part of FIFA. Essentially, these countries choose 24 people to represent the soccer preferences of the entire world. This group of 24 representatives is called the Executive Committee and through a series of votes they determine who will host the World Cup.
FIFA places guardrails on this voting process to ensure that a small handful of nations aren’t repeatedly chosen to host the tournament (it is the world’s game after all). It was decided that the 2018 World Cup would be hosted by a European county and the 2022 tournament could go anywhere else.
In 2010, then-FIFA President Sepp Blatter decided that the Executive Committee would vote on who should host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the same time – a practice that had never been done before. This announcement was met with derision as critics pointed out it would encourage vote-trading and backroom deal-making.
At the same congress when the Executive Committee was choosing World Cup hosts, there would also be a FIFA Presidential election – and Sepp Blatter was worried about it.
Blatter’s main opposition to the presidency was the Qatari Mohammed bin Hammam. By making the Executive Committee vote on the 2022 World Cup (the only one Qatar was eligible to host) at the same time as the election, Blatter was hoping that voters would not give Qatar both the World Cup and the presidency.
This strategy ended up being for nothing, as before the presidential election could happen, Mohammed bin Hammam was banned from football after he was caught bribing FIFA members to vote for him.
(Interestingly enough, two years later bin Hammam would then receive a second lifelong ban from football for another incident.)
Yet this is not the only bribing bin Hammam would be doing. To win the 2022 World Cup bid, Qatari officials had to engage in some unsavory behavior.
First, Qatar did the obvious thing that critics had immediately pointed out. They made a deal with Russia who was bidding to host the 2018 World Cup. In exchange for investing billions of dollars into Russia’s oil fields in the Yamal Peninsula and supporting their World Cup bid, Russia would petition for Qatar to host in 2022.
(Qatar also made a similar deal with Spain, agreeing that they would both vote for the other country’s respective bid – a deal Qatar would later go back on.)
Second, Qatar simply bought Executive Committee votes in a myriad of ways. A month before the vote commenced, The Sunday Times caught on video two members of the committee offering their votes in exchange for money, so the market certainly existed.
Mohammad bin Hammam, along with bribing officials to vote for him for president, also owned a private construction company called Kemco. Using Kemco, bin Hammam funneled cash into 30 African Football Associations who influenced their Executive Committee members to vote for Qatar. To secure the African vote, Qatar also bought the exclusive rights to petition Africa’s football members, ensuring that no other bidding nations could make arguments for why they should host.
There were also incentives for Europe’s Executive Committee members to vote for Qatar. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy pressured a voting member (Michael Platini) to vote for the Arab nation since Qatar had just signed a billion dollar contract with the French company Airbus. At that same meeting, a Qatari representative mentioned they would also start the BeIN sports channel to compete with France’s Canal Plus – a channel that President Sarkozy hated.
(In 2021 Sarkozy was sentenced to a year in jail for another case that involved the illegal use of funds in relation to his presidential campaign.)
German officials also pressured Committee members to vote for Qatar. Qatar needed to build stadiums, roads, hotels and other infrastructure to prepare for the tournament and Germany already had construction companies operating in Qatar. If Qatar won the tournament vote, Germany would get a little boost to their GDP, and everybody wins.
Another Executive Committee member who voted for Qatar had just purchased land in Cyprus for 2 million euros shortly before the vote. After the vote was tallied, a Qatari-owned investment fund paid him 27 million euros for his property.
Another Executive Committee member voted for Qatar, and right afterwards his son was hired by a Qatari medical center run by Aspire Academy – an organization devoted to developing athletes in Qatar. Admittedly, there’s no smoking gun in a few of these cases, but it’s clearly a conflict of interest.
All in all, out of the 24 voting members, 12 would go on to receive a ban from football activities, be indicted by the US Department of Justice, or have their voting rights revoked.
2. Qatari Government
The Qatari government is similar to a monarchy. There’s one man who sits at the head of government with the title of Emir. The Emir is the Head of State, Minister of Defense, and Commander-in-Chief. It’s a position that is inherited by birth and the same family has ruled since the late 19th century after receiving British backing. Qatar also has a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister who are both appointed by the Emir.
There is a judicial system as well. Its job is to enforce laws that are based on Islamic beliefs and the discretionary laws that are created by… you guessed it. The Emir.
Qatar has a legislative branch that is made up of 45 members. 30 members are elected by the public and 15 are appointed by the Emir (although he used to appoint all 45). This branch can write and approve laws, but all decisions must go through the Emir. In effect, the Emir controls the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government.
Even though 30 government officials are elected by the public there are severe restrictions in place. All political parties are outlawed to deter those who oppose the Emir’s decisions from uniting in opposition. And while both men and women are allowed to vote, Qatar has made it increasingly difficult to do so by changing the benchmarks of what it means to be a citizen.
In Qatar you can be a “native” citizen or a “naturalized” citizen. Native citizens reap benefits that are not afforded to others, which includes receiving government jobs, being granted loans for housing, and participating in elections. Being a “naturalized” citizen is synonymous with being a second-class citizen and at any point you can be stripped of your status and deported.
To qualify as a “native” citizen you must trace your lineage back to the 1930’s. And to make this point clear, not only would I need to be born and raised in Qatar, but my parents would need to have been, my grandparents would need to have been too, and finally my great-grandparents would need to have been born and lived in Qatar as well. Both sides of my family to have a lineage like this if I want to be able to vote, apply for any job, or qualify for a home loan.
This law went into effect in 2005 for the primary purpose of disenfranchising the Al Murrah ethnic group, one of the largest tribes in Qatar, who oppose the current Emir.
And while men and women are said to have equality under Qatari law, its actual implementation is much different. There is a system of laws, policies and cultural practices in place that creates a patriarchal society. Women in Qatar need explicit permission from a male family member if they want to open a bank account, receive reproductive health care, pursue higher education, work in government jobs, get married, and/or make decisions relating to their children.
There’s a clear imbalance of power between the two sexes where men can marry multiple women on their own accord (and unilaterally initiate divorces), work in all industries, and even ask courts to impose travel bans on the women in their lives.
People in the LGBTQ+ community also face legal challenges in Qatar. Qatar refuses to recognize same-sex marriages and partnerships, nor do they allow people to petition for LGBTQ+ rights. Any male-male sexual acts can be punished by fines, prison times, lashings, and even the possibility of death for those who practice Islam.
Exact numbers are difficult to get out of Qatar, but at best guess it appears that only about 170,000 people who have “native” status can vote. Out of a population of 2.8 million, that means 94% of the people are removed from the fractional democratic process that Qatar has. Most are subjected to second-class status through explicit laws and cultural norms. They have diminished power with no judicial or legislative guarantees, and there are no political avenues for disenfranchised people to petition the government and gain equality in society.
#3 Labor Practices
Out of all the problems presenting themselves with Qatar hosting the World Cup, working conditions have received the most attention.
Most countries in the Middle East – specifically those with an oil-based economy – use the “kafala” system. It’s a system of labor which allows organizations to recruit impoverished migrant workers and make them entirely dependent on the employer for accommodation, legal status, and access to resources. It’s been equated to modern-day slavery due to the harsh working conditions, exploitative practices, and the potential for human trafficking.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
Companies in Qatar (some of which are owned by US and EU parent-companies) work with third-party recruiters to hire workers from nearby countries, such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.
These recruiters typically target men living in poverty who need money to feed themselves, secure housing, care for their families, get married, etc. Once a man signs up to work in Qatar, he then has to pay money to the recruitment company to cover the reallocation and administrative costs.
This price tag can go up to $4,000; a price that is out of reach for all of these men. To bridge this gap, the recruitment companies offer loans to employees with interest rates reaching as high as 36%. So before an employee even works their first day they’re heavily in debt with reduced wages.
Once workers arrive in Qatar the companies they work for will obtain working visas and ensure that employees have legal status – a responsibility that is purposefully overlooked at times. The kafala system removes all of the workers’ rights and makes them entirely dependent on their employer to provide documentation, food, and housing.
Employees are forced to work 12 hour days in temperatures of up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. They live in labor camps that can have a dozen people sleeping in each cramped bedroom. Hundreds of workers are forced to share a single kitchen and bathroom – toilets overflow with sewage, bed bugs infest the buildings, and privacy is practically unheard of.
But these workers have no choice. The kafala system requires employees to have permission from their employer if they wish to change jobs. Companies also employ under-handed tactics to keep workers from leaving even without permission: they take passports, neglect to file visa papers, and withhold wages. Some employees have gone an entire year without getting paid for their labor. Workers must choose between enduring brutal conditions and eventually receiving pay (hopefully) or be deported back home, still in debt to recruiters.
There are no labor law protections for migrant workers in Qatar. While Qatar did reform the kafala system in 2020, only a few months afterwards companies complained to the government which then retracted the most meaningful legislation. Today workers can leave jobs without needing employer permission and a minimum wage of $1 an hour has been established. But that’s nowhere near enough, especially when considering Qatar is one of the richest countries per capita in the world.
Today, few corporations abide by the changed labor laws and the government does little to enforce them. Thousands of workers have died while building World Cup-related projects and Qatari officials have attempted to change the narrative based on technical objections to the data. It is a labor system that exploits the most under-privileged people in the world, subjects employees to work that literally kills them, and still exists today in the modern world.
Wrapping Up
As I said in the beginning, this is not a call for others to boycott the World Cup or to make anyone feel guilty for supporting their team. It’s difficult to not get pulled into the magic of the tournament and I don’t blame anyone for watching.
My fear though is that this will be a testing ground for FIFA – everyone involved with this corrupt and inhumane process is now being rewarded which makes them likely to try again. There’s already rumors of Saudi Arabia possibly hosting who has an authoritarian regime, an atrocious human rights record, and uses the kafala system as well.
FIFA knew about these same issues in Qatar for twelve years and – even after the world learned about how corrupt the bidding process was – FIFA did nothing to rectify the situation.
But that also means we had twelve years to unite in opposition and we dropped the ball. We could have organized fan groups to oppose the tournament, we could have petitioned our football associations, we could have written to our elected officials, we could have contacted FIFA and told the sponsors we weren’t going to put up with this. But we didn’t.
FIFA and the World Cup have outgrown any national body’s ability to regulate it. The only thing that can potentially hold them accountable is the people that they serve. And while it’s too late to change the 2022 World Cup, we can always change the future.
Every season I tell my teams that teamwork is important and that everyone has a part to play, whether they’re the first player on the pitch or the last player on the bench. I try to convince them of the power that they have; that if they’re focused, work hard, and practice good leadership then they can help change the world.
I also believe the best way to teach is by setting an example – and FIFA has just presented us with a wonderful opportunity to help raise a new generation of devoted soccer fans who understand what right and wrong looks like.
Even if Qatar successfully hosts the World Cup, I’m hopeful we can continue shining a bright international spotlight on the injustices being committed. I’m hopeful that the kafala system will be dramatically reformed across the Middle East. I’m hopeful that marginalized groups will gain political and social equality and the humanitarian recognition they deserve. But more than anything, I’m hopeful that we’ve learned just how much work needs to be done if we want to make soccer the world’s sport again. Because it doesn’t belong to corrupt officials and wealthy dictators. It belongs to us.
We know about FIFA corruption and Qatari malpractices due to the work of so many: investigative reporters, government agents, and the brave Qatari state employees and migrant workers who shared their experiences and put their own well-being and families at risk. A huge thank you goes out to everyone.
And although reliable information is hard to get out of Qatar, I want to pick out one man in particular: Abdullah Ibhais. He worked on Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee and stood up for a group of migrant worker protesters. Shortly afterwards, Ibhais was accused of treason and sentenced to three years in prison despite having no evidence presented against him. His story is worth highlighting.
I’ve been reading and keeping track of all of my sources over the past year. Here’s what the preceding article was based on:
Background:
Why Qatar wanted to host the World Cup - It's not just about sportswashing (the42.ie)
Foreign Policy is the Real Reason Qatar is Hosting FIFA’s World Cup - The Media Line
Could 2022 be sportswashing’s biggest year? | Winter Olympics Beijing 2022 | The Guardian
A game of two halves: how ‘sportswashing’ benefits Qatar and the west | David Wearing | The Guardian
Qatar: US Ally or Global Menace? Conference Transcript - Security Studies Group
Why Qatar fosters close ties with the Taliban – DW – 08/31/2021
FIFA Selection Documents:
eg1fnzj6q9ik5gmggkwi-pdf.pdf (fifa.com)
FIFA publishes guide to bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™
Corruption:
Bin Hammam handed lifetime ban from football | The Independent | The Independent
World Cup host Qatar used ex-CIA officer to spy on FIFA - ABC News (go.com)
Fifa vice president Reynald Temarii vows to overturn suspension | Fifa | The Guardian
Amos Adamu banned for three years by Fifa after corruption hearing | Fifa | The Guardian
The Rise and Fall of Sepp Blatter - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
SPECIAL REPORT: How Qatar bought the 2022 World Cup | Daily Mail Online
Qatar World Cup 2022: How the race to host turned into pure corruption and criminality (msn.com)
Blatter blames France, Germany for Qatar choice (yahoo.com)
Qatari Government:
LGBT rights in Qatar - Wikipedia
Qatar: Security Forces Arrest, Abuse LGBT People | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
Constructing Qatari Citizenship in the Shadow of the World Cup - MERIP
“Everything I Have to Do is Tied to a Man”: Women and Qatar’s Male Guardianship Rules | HRW
Qatar - International scrutiny and rift with Arab allies | Britannica
Qatar: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report | Freedom House
Qatar: Election Law Exposes Discriminatory Citizenship | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
The Political System of Qatar (hziegler.com)
The Al-Murrah Tribe in Qatar: Political Impact (wmich.edu)
Qatar's first legislative elections see 63.5% voter turnout | Reuters
BTI 2022 Qatar Country Report: BTI 2022 (bti-project.org)
Working Conditions:
Qatar: Significant Labor and Kafala Reforms | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
World Cup 2022: How has Qatar treated foreign workers? - BBC News
Qatar 2022: 'Forced labour' at World Cup stadium - BBC News
Revealed: Qatar's World Cup 'slaves' | Slavery | The Guardian
Abdullah Ibhais:
The trial of Abdullah Ibhais - Josimarfootball.com
WhatsApp_Chat.docx (josimarfootball.com)
Ex-Qatar official Abdullah Ibhais enters 5th day of hunger strike (hlhr.org)
Qatar: Ensure fair trial for Abdullah Ibhais - Amnesty International
The Abdullah Ibhais Case: Four Key Pieces Of Evidence – FairSquare