The future of soccer is becoming increasingly bleak
The most controversial World Cup in history begins on November 20, 2022. It ends with the triumph of the Argentinians and the appropriation of the sport by the desert state and its most powerful representative. One year after the finals in Qatar, the criticism has not died down.
The ostentatious stadiums stand fenced off in the desert, the sand blows across the parking lots and an eerie silence reigns. One year after the start of the World Cup, the eight arenas stand like memorials to everything that went wrong during the most controversial final round in Qatar's history. But the future looks even bleaker.
"FIFA is heading for the next human rights disaster," Germany Director Wenzel Michalski of Human Rights Watch (HRW) told Sportinformationsdienst with regard to the almost certain awarding of the 2034 World Cup by the world governing body to Qatar's large neighbor Saudi Arabia: "This is a mockery. Anyone who believed that FIFA was serious and a serious organization must now feel like a joke. Saudi Arabia is worse than Qatar in many respects."
Qatar uses Messi as an instrument
Large parts of the world were already embarrassed on December 18, 2022. When Qatar's emir put the traditional man's robe on Argentina's World Cup captain Lionel Messi after the final of the 22nd finals, the appropriation of soccer by a state was perfect. The spectacle, which cost Qatar over 200 billion euros, was garnished by Gianni Infantino. The FIFA boss certified that the host country had staged the "best World Cup in history".
Human rights organizations such as HRW and Amnesty International (AI) see things very differently, even a year later. Human rights violations were still the order of the day and promised labor law reforms had largely not been implemented. "The World Cup was a disaster for soccer, for the players, for the fans and for the migrant workers," said HRW Director Minky Worden: "It is a terrible stain on FIFA's history."
But according to Worden, the world governing body has "not learned its lesson": "The possibility that FIFA will award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, despite the country's appalling human rights record and lack of scrutiny, exposes FIFA's human rights commitments as window dressing." According to the British Times, the world governing body is currently negotiating a multi-million sponsorship deal with the Saudi oil giant Aramco.
"Football is turning itself into a stooge"
The German Football Association (DFB), whose team failed disastrously in the preliminary round in Qatar for the second time in a row, is also being pilloried. After the fiasco of the "bandage debate", President Bernd Neuendorf is once again facing fierce criticism. Before the DFB boss took office on the FIFA Council in April, he called for more transparency in decision-making - and as part of the system, he was unable to ensure this.
"The values that FIFA and subordinate associations set themselves are not worth the paper they are written on. The behavior is really shameful," said Michalski: "Football is making itself a stooge." According to Michalski, even the largest single sports association in the world is very small. "If you ask about it, you're always told: We don't have that much influence either, and many others don't mind - what are we supposed to do? That's a convenient excuse," said the director: "The DFB is betraying its own values, the values of the sport." The association must "start to roll up its sleeves and put pressure on FIFA": "That's what they should do, but I don't see them doing it."
Looking back on the 2022 World Cup, this must also be stated. Neuendorf had always supported the call for a compensation fund of around 400 million euros for injured or killed workers. The DFB boss was also in favor of setting up a contact center for migrant workers. He saw the Qatari government and FIFA as having a duty in this regard. Whether and how Neuendorf will fight for this as a FIFA official is unknown. In the end, the title of the ARD documentary "World Cup of Shame" probably applies to the final tournament in Qatar. Incidentally, the documentary also featured the so-called container stadium, which, contrary to the vaunted sustainability strategy, has still not been dismantled - and stands as a memorial in the desert.
Despite FIFA's potential awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch's Germany Director Wenzel Michalski criticizes this decision, calling it a "mockery" and a disregard for human rights issues in the country. The controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, including labor violations and human rights concerns, are still prevalent a year after the event, with HRW Director Minky Worden stating that it was a "disaster" for soccer, players, fans, and migrant workers.
Source: www.ntv.de
