The 2022 World Cup controversy, explained

Brut America

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is full of controversy… Here's why.

Transcript

00:00Why is Qatar facing so much backlash as host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

00:05Since the Gulf nation was announced as host 12 years ago,

00:08the decision has been marred by controversy,

00:11with allegations of human rights violations and widespread corruption.

00:14It's not for me!

00:16Now, many are calling for a boycott of the sport's premiere event.

00:26Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar,

00:28with offenders facing up to seven years in prison and hefty fines.

00:32We have evidence and testimony of forced abductions,

00:36of detention without trial, of torture and of conversion therapy.

00:41In the run-up to the global event,

00:43soccer superstar David Beckham,

00:45who has been praised in the past for his vocal support of the LGBTQ plus community,

00:50came under fire for signing a deal worth upwards of $200 million

00:54to be an ambassador for Qatar for the next 10 years.

00:58It's another beautiful day here in Qatar.

01:01One British comedian gave the former English national team captain a costly ultimatum.

01:07If you end your relationship with Qatar,

01:08I'll donate this 10 grand of my own money

01:11to charities that support queer people in football.

01:14However, if you do not, at midday next Sunday,

01:17I will throw this money into a shredder.

01:19Not just the money, but also your status as a gay icon will be shredded.

01:24Concerns have been raised for LGBTQ plus fans and players travelling for the event,

01:28who activist groups say could face discrimination under Qatari law.

01:32As players, we fully support the rights of the LGBTI plus people.

01:36But in Qatar, people are not free to love the person that they choose.

01:39FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Qatari officials have vehemently denied accusations

01:45that LGBTQ plus fans could face danger during the tournament.

01:49Fans come with rainbow flags.

01:51Look, we've always said that everybody is welcome here.

01:54All we ask is for people to be respectful of the culture.

01:56Gay fans, if they were holding hands in public, would that be OK?

02:00Yes.

02:00Everyone will be welcomed to the tournament,

02:05regardless of their origin, background, religion,

02:09gender, sexual orientation or nationality.

02:12Well, I can tell you I'm not welcome in Qatar.

02:14So that statement is false.

02:15This is now the first time ever like LGBT issues in Qatar are being discussed.

02:21Qatar has faced intense criticism over the mistreatment of low-wage migrant workers

02:30hired to build the massive infrastructure needed for the competition.

02:34Foreign workers make up nearly 90% of the country's workforce.

02:38These are people who are facing a range of horrible labour exploitation,

02:41ranging from paying large fees in their home countries before they come,

02:46given false promises about the work on offer,

02:49having their passports confiscated,

02:51living in poor and dirty accommodation,

02:54being threatened for complaining about their situation.

02:56And some of these workers also were subjected to forced labour,

02:59forced to work against their own will.

03:01Under the Kafala system of sponsorship-based employment in Qatar,

03:05foreign workers are legally bound to their employers.

03:08Until recently, this system prevented workers from changing jobs

03:11or even leaving the country without their employer's permission.

03:14Someone basically owns you.

03:16Someone decides very big aspects of your life,

03:20from what time you wake up to what time you go to sleep,

03:23what type of food you eat, where you live,

03:25who you associate with, even if you associate with anyone.

03:28While the Qatari government has passed some reforms for workers' rights,

03:32including within the Kafala system,

03:34groups like Amnesty International and the International Labour Organization

03:38say they haven't gone far enough.

03:40Calls for FIFA to take action against the alleged abuses

03:43have largely gone unanswered.

03:45A lot of construction workers died in building the stadiums there,

03:49and you were the boss.

03:51What would you say to the families?

03:52They were looking for opportunities to work.

03:56This is a national matter and this is not a matter of FIFA.

03:59In early 2021, The Guardian released an explosive report

04:03estimating that 6,500 foreign workers had died

04:07since Qatar was awarded the World Cup.

04:09Qatari officials, meanwhile, offered an estimate of 37 deaths of migrant workers,

04:15primarily attributed to natural causes.

04:17The exact number of World Cup-related tragedies

04:19has not been confirmed by official sources.

04:26When Qatar was awarded the bid to host in 2010,

04:29allegations of corruption immediately followed.

04:32Without much of a soccer past, a sweltering summer temperatures

04:35and little infrastructure to host an event of this scale,

04:38many question the legitimacy of the decision for years to come.

04:41There are now allegations that some FIFA executives

04:44took bribes to put the World Cup in Qatar,

04:46and I hope that's true,

04:48because otherwise it makes literally no sense.

04:51One Qatari whistleblower alleged that several African officials

04:54had been paid upwards of $1 million to vote in favor of Qatar.

04:58Though Qatar was officially cleared of any wrongdoing by FIFA,

05:02the cloud of suspicion remained over both the host nation

05:05and the organization for years to come.

05:07I do not admit that there is corruption in FIFA.

05:10I admit that people are corrupt, but not FIFA.

05:14FIFA as an organization is not corrupt.

05:17In 2020, the U.S. Justice Department released an indictment

05:20accusing three former FIFA officials of accepting bribes

05:24in order to vote for Qatar.

05:25The Qatari government vehemently denied the accusations.

05:33After being awarded the bid, Qatari officials pledged

05:36that the event would be carbon neutral.

05:37But watch groups have said that this promise

05:39is nearly impossible to keep given the infrastructure needs

05:43of the competition, which includes seven air-conditioned stadiums,

05:47hotels, roads, transportation systems,

05:50not to mention all the air travel that will bring people

05:53from all over the world to Qatar for the event.

05:55Carbon neutrality can only be achieved

05:59if there is an effective reduction of emissions

06:03and not compensation.

06:05Though the Gulf nation has been praised

06:06for its innovative building methods,

06:08event organizers have been accused of greenwashing

06:11and understating the event's true environmental impact.

06:14You start by the beginning, you know, the whole construction.

06:16It's too late now.

06:17There's no way the World Cup can be carbon neutral.

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