FIFA has asked participating countries to be patient in the face of protests over LGBTQ issues and migrant worker rights.
The International Football Association has written to all 32 World Cup teams, urging them to “focus on the football” in Qatar and not allow the game to “be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”
The letter from FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Fatma Samoura comes after a series of protests by World Cup teams on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to concerns about the treatment of migrant workers who have been critical in building World Cup facilities.
“At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world,” Infantino and Samoura wrote. “Please, let’s now focus on the football!”
The Guardian reported in February 2021 that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar since 2010, when the country was awarded the World Cup.
According to the Qatari government, these figures, provided by the respective countries’ embassies, included deaths of people who were not working on World Cup projects.
It said, “The mortality rate among these communities is within the expected range for the size and demographics of the population.”
The government reported 37 deaths among workers directly related to World Cup stadium construction between 2014 and 2020, three of which were “work-related.”
Denmark recently announced its players would wear a “toned down” kit during the World Cup, with Danish manufacturer Hummel saying it “does not wish to be visible” at a tournament that “has cost thousands of lives”.
“We support the Danish national team, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation,” it said.
In response to Denmark’s announcement, Khaled al-Suwaidi, a senior member of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee, stated that the country has used the World Cup “as a catalyst to drive change” and has reformed its migrant worker laws.
The Australian national team recently released a video criticizing Qatar’s human rights record and calling for the decriminalization of same-sex relationships, which are illegal in Qatar.
The tournament’s organisers praised the Australian players for “using their platforms to raise awareness for important matters”. Still, they added, “No country is perfect, and every country – hosts of major events or not – has its challenges.”
A message from the Socceroos. pic.twitter.com/Sd2R6ej8kK
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) October 26, 2022
To show their support for the LGBTQ community, the captains of nine teams will wear rainbow armbands.
The World Cup organisers have stated that everyone is welcome, regardless of sexual orientation or background, while also cautioning against public displays of affection.
To read our blog on “Before the FIFA World Cup, three Pakistani firefighters pass away in Qatar,” click here
