Corruption, Oppression, and Sports: The 2022 FIFA World Cup
With this year’s FIFA World Cup underway, it has been tied to a myriad of controversies surrounding Qatar’s bid to host the world’s most grand sporting event. From FIFA’s top senior officials receiving bribes and vote swap allegations, to the social climate of human rights, and the mistreatment of migrant workers — Qatar has been scrutinized by sports officials, fans, and players alike.
The Qatar Olympic Committee states on their website that their mission is “to sponsor and improve Olympic Movement in accordance with principles of the Olympic Charter”. The 6th fundamental principle of Olympism says that “the rights and freedoms set forth in the charter will be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, or religion…”
Although Qatar is known as an economic powerhouse with money bags leaking oil and gas, and its citizens being some of the richest people in the world. The country, however, lacks freedom of speech, expression, and essentially any progressive ideas that would move the country forward ahead of its deep-rooted oppressive culture. Gender equality is non-existent, homosexuality is punishable by up to three years in prison, and over 2 million of its population are migrant workers who work in unsuitable conditions of forced labor fit for modern day slavery.
Since winning the bid in 2010, an investigation by The Guardian counted over 6,700 migrant workers deaths from nations such as Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. However, the number’s accuracy is in question as other deaths from countries like the Philippines, along with other nations, have not been counted. Some estimate death tolls to be higher than 10,000.
The living conditions these people endure in these camps are unlivable to all standards. Most camps house hundreds of workers in small spaces sharing a kitchen with barely any running water. These camps were filled with vermin and human waste. Workers are unable to leave or quit as their passports are compromised by their employer and would be denied exit visas to leave.
With a nation that boasts a stat as one of the richest countries in the world per capita. How does this even happen? How does a nation whose national soccer team that never qualified for the World Cup win a bid over the U.S.?
Corruption? According to a report by UK-based Sunday Times, leaked emails suggested that Mohammad Bin Hammam had paid millions of dollars of bribes to FIFA officials and afforded cash gifts to football delegates. Bin Hammam is a Qatari soccer official and a former FIFA executive cabal who was banned from FIFA for life in 2011 for other charges on corruption. The US Department of Justice had also released evidence that three South American FIFA officials had received bribes to vote for Qatar. Julio Grondona of Argentina, Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay (whom are now both deceased), and Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil.
As a former high school basketball coach, we enjoy teaching the game we love. It’s a way for us to give back to the community, help kids get to college and sometimes into the pros, most importantly, you create lifelong relationships and lessons that you hope pave the roadways for your athletes to succeed in their own way. You teach life. But we also teach integrity. We instill values in our kids, and they learn to play the game with honesty. They learn how to be resilient, and they learn how to lead and do things the right way. To not cut corners or cheat your way through the process.
As adults in the sport world, we have to continue being an example to the youth as they’ll be the ones to eventually become leaders and take on roles in sport governing bodies. One of the main concerns of the International Olympic Committee is what will host nations do to continue legacy when the Olympic games or the FIFA World Cup is over? What will a nation do to improve and continue to provide for the youth and women in sports? We can’t continue to progress sport and create legacy if the foundation of why we do it is based on advancing global initiatives through corrupt political agendas. We don’t teach our kids to cheat, so why would we do it ourselves?
As the next 30 days of the highest level of soccer is played by the world’s top athletes representing their nation. Let’s not forget about the migrant workers whose lives are cemented in the seven stadiums built on their blood. Our friends and family in the LGBT community experiencing life in a nation where it’s a crime to be yourself. Let’s not forget the women who are oppressed and restricted from freedoms their counterparts imposed on them. However, let’s also not forget that we, as Americans, are not completely innocent in our repressive ways and history as well. The US enacted Title IX for equity in sports for women not even 50 years ago, in 1975. The US is known for its history of slavery and systemic racism. Like I said, we’re not 100% innocent. But if leaving a legacy is a key principle to improving and globalizing sport and humanity. Then lets bleed past the borders and use sport to improve human rights worldwide with a little less conversation and more action.
