FIFA World Cup 2022: Sportswashing allegations, human rights violations and all that's not well

A plane flies over the Crescent Tower Lusail during sunrise in Lusail, Qatar, Thursday.

“The on-ground situation in Qatar is great. You see the fans, the World Cup fever and the excitement. But there is more to it than meets the eye”, says Arup Soans who was the chief marketing officer of 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup held in India.

Soans, who has been associated with FIFA multiple times in a professional capacity, played an important role in making India’s first FIFA World Cup the "most-attended youth tournament event ever".

Interested in the backend of how the big event was organised, Soans has been talking to workers as well as organisers. Asked his opinion on whether Qatar is using the 2022 FIFA World Cup to sportswash its image, Soans says: "This is certainly possible."

Sportwashing, or using sports to improve an individual, company or nation's tarnished reputation, isn't a new idea, though it has been bandied about more frequently of late - especially in the context of tournaments like the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the LIV Golf tournament that in Saudi Arabia (October 14-16, 2022).

The 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, 2008 Summer Olympics in China were seen as prime examples of sportswashing by some. Qatar, too, is being accused of the same by many human rights groups.

Soans adds “The people who are working there only know what they are supposed to know. The workers didn’t have answers to a lot of questions that I asked them - especially the ones on human rights violations”.

When asked about the bad press and the controversies leading up to the World Cup, for instance an Argentina reporter being robbed on live TV, Soans says: “I think there is some unwarranted negative publicity. Some people are trying to create controversy but that doesn’t mean things are all hunky dory here”.

“This is my third FIFA World Cup. When I asked an official off-the-record about the migrant workers and their whereabouts, I was told - ‘they have been sent back home, to their own country’. It was shocking to hear this,” Soans adds.

After Qatar was awarded the World Cup hosting rights, several migrant workers relocated to the country in search of jobs. Many of them are struggling to make ends meet. Thousands have lost their lives. Qatar is also being criticised for its anti-LGBTQIA stance and alcohol ban.

On the alcohol ban, Soans says: “It is illegal to consume alcohol in Qatar. They made the announcement two days before the match so football fans planning to watch the World Cup live do not cancel their Qatar visit. Budweiser, the official sponsor, had already shipped thousands of beer cans.”

Soans says FIFA has also been bending the rules of the tournament for Qatar. “The rules regarding the mascot, for instance, state that it must have legs, it cannot talk (that is, have a voice) and that it cannot have social media channels. None of these rules are being followed for Qatar’s mascot.”

Soans adds the change in match schedule (the opening ceremony took place before the Group A match between Qatar and Ecuador) “is very unlike FIFA. A lot of match merchandise is already printed with dates. There are losses incurred when it goes to waste. FIFA’s rules are usually difficult to bend. But there are a lot of firsts this time. Rules are being changed and that has taken people on-ground by surprise too”.

Soans also feels FIFA and Qatar are being evasive when it comes to answering questions about human rights violations. “They could have addressed them but are tight-lipped. I believe the higher-ups too were taken by surprise. Perhaps, they didn’t expect the controversy to snowball to this extent.”

Soans, based on his on-ground visit, opines: “It seems Qatar is not familiar with the requirements of hosting such a tournament. They should have perhaps hosted a youth tournament before the World Cup. If the tournament succeeds, it will be FIFA’s win. If an untoward incident occurs, Qatar will bear the brunt of it.”

Asked if the outrage will make a difference now, Soans says: “This tournament was awarded to Qatar 12 years ago in 2010. There should have been a conversation around it 4 years ago. All of us knew this was going to happen. Cancelling or boycotting the tournament won’t do much now. These issues can only be addressed after the World Cup is over.”

Sportswashing needs a shiny facade - an exterior of good stadia and world-class fan facilities. And Qatar did spruce up its infrastructure to host the tournament.

Raman Raheja, co-founder and CEO, Legends League cricket, says Qatar has done a good job at transforming its infrastructure - the stadiums and sports facilities in particular - and deserves credit for the same. “I was lucky to have visited Doha recently. The infrastructure there is the best in the world. Qatar is a desert. The temperature outside is 50 degrees but the moment you go inside the stadium, it is 24 degrees,” he says.

On sportswashing, Raheja says: “Various countries have tried to host big sporting events to portray themselves as a new-age economy. Qatar has been trying to project itself as a sporting hub. It also bid for the Olympics. Beijing has done it in the past too. So there is nothing new here.”

Raheja opines: “There are controversies around it. There were some gaps which could have been avoided, particularly around the alcohol ban. There have also been some isolated incidents of mic-snatching. But the locals are generally supportive - they have been accommodating people. The negativity is overplayed.”

Raheja says: “The organisers have turned entire stadiums into fan zones. I happened to visit a cricket Qatar stadium which had the capacity of 13,500 people. The entire stadium has been turned into a fan zone where those who couldn’t make it to the match can watch it live on the big screen.”

Should federations consider the history of a country with human rights issues before awarding them the hosting rights? On the same, Raheja says: “If you look at the past, you will never be able to look at the future. The federations should give developing countries a chance to change and rewrite their history.”

“This is the only way forward”, he concludes.

In Qatar's case, activists have pointed out, it's not just the country's past but its present that jars.