Qatar: Issues remain even as hosts welcome world

Express News Service

The issues in Qatar have overshadowed football. With just less than 24 hours for kick-off, the problems cannot be wished away. It is a matter of fact that over 6,500 men, some just boys, have died at work or in work-related incidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in December 2010 (both FIFA and Qatar dispute these numbers). Rights groups have pointed out that the numbers are misleading – a combination of shoddy record keeping, under-reporting and at times blatant disregard.

Their families have received little or nothing in terms of compensation so far. It is an undeniable failure that should prompt more questioning, introspection, conversation and action. In Qatar some of this is taking place. The country introduced broad labour reforms that were lauded by the International Labour Organisation and abolished the heinous kafala system.

Qatar is no proletarian paradise. But, as the four parking lot friends pointed out… baby steps. Almost 90 percent of Qatar’s population is migrants. At least anecdotally, those who are here seem better off than those who are not. The same can hardly be said of europe where governments have won elections on antimigrant policies and border pushbacks that have killed over 29,000 migrants since 2014. It was FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s one point of clarity in a diatribe that otherwise slipped in and out of the realm of the bizarre. he is, of course, playing to the gallery.

There is a FIFA election next year and Infantino knows he needs the Global South on his side. It was also very much in line with FIFA’s unofficial “Shut up and Play” policy. Infantino need not have bothered though. Qatar’s decision not to sell beer at the stadiums changed the headlines all by itself.

Which brings us back to Ground Zero. At the time of going to print, the fan festival was kicking off. Mexicans, ecuadorians, Cameroonians and thousands of South Asians mingled on the streets of the city. This is the most compact World Cup that I have attended. Compared to the 12,000km I had to cover to follow France in Russia four years ago, everything here is within a 50km radius. For those who have retained an innocent love of the game, and privileged enough to be here, there is the possibility of not just the other-worldly platform championed by liberal columnists.
 

<br /> The issues in Qatar have overshadowed football. With just less than 24 hours for kick-off, the problems cannot be wished away. It is a matter of fact that over 6,500 men, some just boys, have died at work or in work-related incidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in December 2010 (both FIFA and Qatar dispute these numbers). Rights groups have pointed out that the numbers are misleading – a combination of shoddy record keeping, under-reporting and at times blatant disregard.</p> <p>Their families have received little or nothing in terms of compensation so far. It is an undeniable failure that should prompt more questioning, introspection, conversation and action. In Qatar some of this is taking place. The country introduced broad labour reforms that were lauded by the International Labour Organisation and abolished the heinous kafala system.</p> <p>Qatar is no proletarian paradise. But, as the four parking lot friends pointed out… baby steps. Almost 90 percent of Qatar’s population is migrants. At least anecdotally, those who are here seem better off than those who are not. The same can hardly be said of europe where governments have won elections on antimigrant policies and border pushbacks that have killed over 29,000 migrants since 2014. It was FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s one point of clarity in a diatribe that otherwise slipped in and out of the realm of the bizarre. he is, of course, playing to the gallery.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.81 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.81 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>There is a FIFA election next year and Infantino knows he needs the Global South on his side. It was also very much in line with FIFA’s unofficial “Shut up and Play” policy. Infantino need not have bothered though. Qatar’s decision not to sell beer at the stadiums changed the headlines all by itself.</p> <p>Which brings us back to Ground Zero. At the time of going to print, the fan festival was kicking off. Mexicans, ecuadorians, Cameroonians and thousands of South Asians mingled on the streets of the city. This is the most compact World Cup that I have attended. Compared to the 12,000km I had to cover to follow France in Russia four years ago, everything here is within a 50km radius. For those who have retained an innocent love of the game, and privileged enough to be here, there is the possibility of not just the other-worldly platform championed by liberal columnists.<br />  <br />