World Cup on the sidelines: One year to Qatar

Has anything really changed for the better in Qatar? About a tournament that is already causing maximum controversy in the run-up.

The trip was not under a good star. In the middle of the season, at the beginning of April 2004, FC Bayern jetted off to Doha for a test match against the “Stars of Qatar “ The record champions defeated the crème de la crème of the Qatari league, for whom Stefan Effenberg and Mario Basler lined up. But the tour of fixtures cost them energy for the chase to catch up in the championship, which was won by Werder Bremen in the end. They even had to fear for Michael Ballack, the key player who had pulled his calf in the desert. On the one hand. On the other hand, the contract kick brought in a lot of money. At the time, the media wrote about 600,000 euros for the

Even today, a little over a year before the 2022 World Cup, there is controversy about partnerships with the Emirate that bring a lot of money and a lot of criticism. Not only in Munich, but all over the world. Does the tournament help open up a society that seems archaic? Or does it provide a gigantic, petrodollar-financed stage for self-promotion? Thomas Hitzlsperger can understand the approach of the pro-Qatar faction’s argumentation. “They are trying to use the old diplomatic idea of change through rapprochement. But my hope for improvement is limited,” says the VfB Stuttgart CEO. “It won’t be difficult for FIFA to show pictures for four weeks that give the impression of progress without fundamentally changing anything in the coming years. But I don’t believe in a sustainable improvement through a World Cup alone.” Russia has also not become more democratic and liberal after 2018, argues the ex-national player, who broke a spiral of silence when he came out in 2014.

What has long been taboo in men’s football in this country is forbidden in the host country of the World Cup: Homosexuals face prison sentences, in extreme cases even the death penalty is possible according to Sharia law. Who can blame Josh Cavallo when he says: “One of the greatest achievements as a professional footballer is to play for your country. Knowing that the World Cup is in a country that doesn’t support homosexuals and puts our lives in danger scares me.” The 22-year-old Adelaide United professional, who recently came out, could theoretically play in the World Cup if Australia qualifies and nominates him. Cavallo would hardly travel to Qatar. Hitzlsperger at least reserves the right to do so: “I don’t want to rule it out, as long as I can make a meaningful contribution to the discussion about human rights and the rights of the LGBT community.” In principle, however, a World Cup visit does not excite him, says the 39-year-old.

“Women’s rights are also being trampled underfoot in Qatar

“Maybe many football fans don’t know gays personally and have little to do with the issue. But you all have mothers, you have sisters and daughters. And they are no better off in Qatar than my people. Women’s rights are also trampled underfoot in Qatar. And the fact that you turn a blind eye and put up with all this just to celebrate an undisturbed football festival frightens me, makes me angry, makes me despair,” said Alfonso Pantisano, a member of the board of the German Lesbian and Gay Association, in an emotional appeal to the football public.

In fact, in 2020, Qatar ranked 135th out of 153 countries worldwide in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Equality Index. It fits exactly into this picture that Monika Staab says: “Qatar doesn’t really have a women’s national team anymore. When matches are scheduled, appearances are kept up for the public. To what extent more support will come with a view to the World Cup, I can’t say.” The 62-year-old is a pioneer of women’s football. First in the Federal Republic, and from the mid-2000s specifically in the Middle East. She coached Bahrain and, since September, the no less controversial Saudi Arabia. In 2013 and 2014, it was the Qatari women who are now not even listed in the FIFA world rankings, although the world governing body has made women’s football a condition for World Cup bids.

Staab: “I had hoped in 2014 that something could emerge “

“We achieved a lot at that time, built teams from U14 to U16, played matches, even played in the West Arab Cup. In 2010, Qatar still lost 0:19 against Bahrain, we only lost 0:3,” Staab looks back and is annoyed at the same time: “In 2014, I had hoped that something could emerge. Now I see the frustration because the work has not been carried on. That is a fact. I still have very good contact with the players, they are very disappointed. There are training sessions now and then, but you can’t speak of an active team. To the outside world, appearances are kept up. “

Appearances and shams. These are two central points of the criticism that has been levelled at the Emirate since 2 December 2010. Ever since the then FIFA boss Sepp Blatter pulled the card with “Qatar” written on it out of the envelope. There is a photo from that day in Zurich, when the patron from Valais presented the Emir with the World Cup. The trophy shines golden. The desert is supposed to shine golden in the Vision 2030 of the then head of state Hamad bin Chalifa Al Thani. The vision is the future project of the small Arab state. The sheikh and his heir to the throne, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, bought into sport on a grand scale. Handball, athletics, Paris St. Germain, media rights via beIN-Sports, the gigantic Aspire Academy training facility, Formula 1 or the ICSS, a centre for sports security that claims to be independent. Sports celebrities as ambassadors such as Zinedine Zidane or Pep Guardiola, soon also David Beckham according to British media. The cost of a decade of Beckham grins is rumoured to be just under 180 million euros. The cherry on the cake, however, is the 2022 World Cup, a project that experts estimate will cost 200 billion US dollars.

Did things get better on the construction sites?

A project that costs lives. A tragedy in perpetuity. Media keep revealing how migrant workers die on construction sites, the Emirate vows improvement. But have things really improved? Certainly on some construction sites, the organisers installed showcase camps. The arenas for 2022 are clean, say FIFA and the organising Supreme Committee. Now, Franz Beckenbauer, in whose name 6.7 million euros once flowed into the Emirate, did not see any slaves during a flying visit there, and his statement promptly blew up in his face. Because the world has seen them, the slaves. It looks, it counts the dead, it criticises Qatar. Because of the World Cup, say some. While others are convinced that it is not possible to play on the graves of disenfranchised guest workers and that the tournament should therefore be boycotted.

“Boycott is and remains a powerful instrument in socio-political conflicts. A boycott is the last resort, to which one can indeed resort. But then you can no longer play an active role,” said Green politician Claudia Roth, summarising the dilemma. The Vice-President of the German Bundestag adds: “It is right and important to insist that internationally recognised human rights standards are also applied to international sporting events and that the organisers of these events comply with these standards.”

Katja Müller-Fahlbusch, German Middle East expert at Amnesty International, acknowledges, “The Qatari government initiated a series of reforms in 2017 that are unique in the region.” The problem: “Reform implementation is half-hearted and not very consistent. Over the past year, reform implementation has stalled significantly, despite considerable international pressure on Qatar. “

Tromsö IL calls for boycott

Specially in Scandinavia, many have called for the rigid solution. Tromsö IL had called for a boycott, and other clubs joined in. But in June, the Norwegian federation put its foot down. Instead, it committed itself in an action programme to working for human rights and against sportswashing. Tromsø boss Öyvind Alapnes believes: “Our push has led to one of the biggest social debates in Norway about the connection between football, money and human rights. Hardly anyone in Norway was aware of what was actually going on in Qatar. But many people were then in favour of a boycott when they became better informed about it in the course of our appeal. And especially the media reported critically about the World Cup.” Sweden’s federation will in future do without the national team’s January training camp in Qatar, which has been customary for years. The Finns want to follow suit.

National team’s move becomes PR disaster

An advance by the German national team, on the other hand, turned into a PR disaster in March. The stars’ sign to come to the anthem against Iceland with a “Human Rights “ shirt they had painted themselves – but the fact that a “making of” was circulating on the net less than 24 hours later caused a shitstorm in the social media. Fans accused the federation of having the mindset: Image before idealism.

Sylvia Schenk thinks that the DFB, which published a little-noticed position paper in May, “has completely dived into this topic”. The head of the sports working group of Transparency International Germany adds: “There should be enough time and money to familiarise oneself with the background and to get involved in the debate. To say on the basis of facts, in a differentiated and courageous way: this went well in Qatar, but this and this must still happen in the future.” In Schenk’s eyes, FC Bayern, which has been a training camp guest in Qatar for years, would also have to “communicate better, take a clearer stand”. That means: “In accordance with the UN guidelines, it would have to say openly what it is doing, why it is doing it and where the limits are for it, for example in the details of a training camp. Then he would also be in a much better position vis-à-vis his own fans.”