Breaking News: Qatar tops Arab economies after Emir grants gay marriages.

In a live televised event, Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, announced only weeks after the first World Cup in the Arab region, a Royal Decree allowing same-sex unions, a first in the Middle East and a Muslim country. The Emir profusely thanked the President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino, who had secretly used the pretext of the World Cup to positively influence the Emir, citing Infantino’s “Today, I am gay” speech, which he gave during a press conference at the start of the tournament. Global markets are already responding, as the news signals strength and stability for future investors. Senior international global trading experts predict that the ESG financing and investment sector will target the Gulf State, bringing in billions. Qatar, the LGBT+ community, human rights activists and society in general, are indebted to the outstanding efforts and leadership of FIFA for these significant economic and social developments…...

Is how I would have liked my post-Qatar 2022 World Cup piece to start, fan-faring and heralding how a major international event sparked economical discourse into potential development and adoption of modern business management principles that not only equate to revenue generation and cost reductions, but are also ethical, saves the planet, the people and our prosperity, instead the reality is that the Qatari World Cup 2022 was doomed to go down in history as the most appalling and disgraced international sporting event even before the words, “The winner to organise the 2022 FIFA World Cup is (fumbling of envelope, followed by a rehearsed look of complete but pleasant shock) ……..Qatar!”, were uttered in Zurich, at the FIFA Congress by the then FIFA President Sepp Blatter on 2 December 2010, much to the look of equally well-rehearsed perplexed displays of extreme adulation by the Qatari delegation and one of authentic bewilderment from the ardent football bidding delegations and justifiably as their hopes of hosting the world’s second largest sporting event dissipated.

Hosting the World Cup is just one element of the Qatar National Vision 2030, a vision laid out by the Emir which “protects public and personal freedoms; and promotes moral and religious values and traditions”, it also “envisages a vibrant and prosperous country in which there is economic and social justice for all, with strong Islamic and family values providing our moral and ethical compass”.

It all sounds like mental doublethink.

The MckInsey-esque vision is the mastermind manuscript intended to strengthen Qatar’s role in the international community and address its very rapid economic and population growth.?The real motive of the authoritarian capitalist Emir, in bringing the tournament to Qatar, was to boost its global standing and help diversify its economy. Buying the World Cup will bring this influence to Qatar. Sportwashing.

And thus an autocratic billionaire affluent petroleum clan and royal Arab head of state decides to abuse the world’s second most watched sporting event to whitewash the image of his country.

Qatar wasn't just a surprising choice; the bid was fundamentally flawed in many aspects and logically inexplicable. Qatar should not have won the bid; it actually should have been automatically disqualified. It was not considered a real contender by any sporting or events expert.?Amongst reasons why pundits saw all 4 rival bids; Australia, Japan, South Korea and the USA as much stronger candidates, were that whilst these 4 countries have either hosted the World Cup or the Olympics - the world’s largest international sporting event, not just Qatar, but the whole region hadn’t hosted anything similar. In fact, prior to 2010, there are no recorded large-scale events. Added to this, football has little social relevance, sporting value nor cultural significance in the region and in Arabic culture. With no real noteworthy teams, leagues, let alone players nor fans, their best achievement was reaching the quarterfinals of the 2000 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Qatar has never qualified for the World Cup.

It is, therefore, little wonder (especially to FIFA) that the nation lacked the complete infrastructure to host the tournament, and this included all 8 stadiums, a new airport, bridges, man-made islands, a new metro system, highways, roads, train tracks, train stations, rows of new hotels, restaurants and recreational establishments to name a few. A completely new city had to be built, as the small nation has only 1 major city. This massive infrastructure undertaking benefits those involved in the construction. FIFA was also fully aware and knew that choosing Qatar was an unsound choice for a summer soccer tournament as it conducted its own objective analysis of the various bids and found that Qatar was not only an unsuitable place to host the World Cup but also a dangerous one.?They noted that the notoriously scorching hot summer temperatures of over 50 degrees, would be a hazard to the health of the players and the fans.

This was all downplayed in the initial pitch, with promises of all 8 stadiums being purposely built fully air-conditioned. Qatari scientists also claimed to have developed the technology to create solar-powered, gas-filled artificial clouds, capable of providing shade to spectators and athletes from the roaring sun. Apparently, the artificial clouds could be easily manoeuvered and positioned over any of the stadiums and training grounds in Qatar with remote control. In the end, to avoid the summer temperatures, FIFA eventually moved the World Cup dates to November, which meant all the worldwide leagues had to adapt and doctor their tournament schedules. The ginormous, robot cloud, however, must have disappeared into thin air as it was never mentioned again.

“Qatar World Cup of Shame" - Amnesty International

FIFA has not only awarded a country with no experience in organizing large-scale international events, nor reverence and appreciation of the sport or football culture, with massive logistical challenges but to a country with one of the worst track records on human rights. Concern about the restrictive alcohol consumption laws is dwarfed by the atrocious human rights record and human rights abuses, including the abysmal working conditions and inhumane treatment of migrant workers and the neglect of their rights, severe restrictions on free expression and peaceful assembly, state policies that discriminate and facilitate violence against women and deny women’s rights and same-sex relationship criminalization and the repressive environment against LGBT+ residents and visitors and violations against international human rights standards, including the death penalty and flogging.

FIFA was also aware that democratic institutions do not exist in Qatar. The country is ruled by an absolute monarch, the Emir of Qatar and his immediate and extended family occupy all executive and top positions. The Emir is the head of state and the highest authority in the country, responsible for the overall administration and governance of Qatar, and exercises full and unquestionable executive, legislative, and judicial powers with no opposition. There is no democracy.

As the Emir holds all judicial powers, he is responsible for all laws and the laws breach internationally accepted standards. The legal system is a mixture of civil law and Islamic law. Sharia, a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition, is a main source of Qatari legislation. The Qatari Criminal Code allows punishments such as flogging and stoning to be imposed as criminal sanctions. The?UN Committee Against Torture?found that these practices constituted a breach of the obligations imposed by the?UN Convention Against Torture.?Apostasy is a crime punishable by the death penalty. Blasphemy is punishable by up to seven years in prison and proselytizing any religion other than Islam can be punished by up to 10 years in prison. Homosexuality is a crime punishable by the death penalty. Muslims caught consuming alcohol are liable to flogging.

Adding to the complete political manipulation and autocratic rule and power, the Emir and royal family, have immense economic and financial power thanks to the country’s vast?oil and natural gas reserves. The royal family have investment in the UK valued at €30 billion, France at €10 billion and Germany at €5 billion. They either outright own or have holding stakes in multiple companies including; Volkswagen Group, Porsche, Siemens, Hapag-Llyod, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Barclays, The Shard, Harrods Group, Sainsbury's, Royal Dutch Shell, Iberdrola, Total, France Telecom and French football club Paris Saint-Germain F.C. to name a few.

Qatar lacks a workforce. In fact, the country’s population is comprised of roughly 300,000 Qatari nationals and 2.7 million migrant workers. As hosting the World Cup would be a massive infrastructure undertaking, Qatar recruited hundreds of thousands of workers, mainly from India, Nepal and Bangladesh through agencies in their home countries. To secure a job with monthly salaries of around $250, migrants had little choice but to pay recruitment fees of up to $4,000. Reports have surfaced that workers paid off their debt after 2 years on average. Migrant workers are unable to switch jobs, leave the country, or unionize without the explicit permission of their employers who usually kept their passports. This is the worker’s sponsorship system known as “kafala”, which bred inhumane treatment of migrant workers. The heavily in debt migrants depend fully on an employer and have no rights. They were working in fear, routinely underpaid and in brutal conditions of up to 52 degrees.

Qatar stadiums are built on migrant blood.

The stadium, where the Argentine team became the victors of the World Cup, was built on the blood of over 6,500 workers who died between 2010 to 2020, according to reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Qatari officials denied this number and claimed that only 37 deaths had occurred and only 3 whilst working.

?In 2016, Lisbeth Zegveld, a human rights lawyer from Amsterdam, was representing the complaint of three trade unions and a worker from Bangladesh against FIFA in Swiss courts. Despite the dismissal of the complaint by the Zurich Commercial Court, Ziegfeld was continuing to fight FIFA, as at the core of the lawsuit she says, "The main complaint is that FIFA should never have awarded the World Cup to Qatar because of the poor human rights record. Giving the World Cup to a country without demanding that elementary human rights be respected is illegal."

After many years of serious migrant labor, gender and minority human rights abuses in Qatar, Human Rights Watch produced a publication, “Qatar: FIFA World Cup 2022 – Human Rights Guide for Reporters,” to support journalists covering the Qatar World Cup. The 42-page publication aims to support journalists covering the Qatar World Cup as it summarises Human Rights Watch’s concerns associated with Qatar’s preparations for and hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and outlines broader problems with protecting human rights in the country.

The guide also describes FIFA’s human rights policies and how the global football governing body can more effectively address serious violations in Qatar and mitigate harm. “The World Cup draws immense international media and fan attention, but the tournament’s dark side is overshadowing football,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “The 2022 World Cup’s legacy will depend on whether Qatar remedies with FIFA the deaths and other abuses”.

But even before the start whistle for the FIFA World Cup neared, teams, players and sports organizations were increasingly speaking out on the human rights challenges to impacted workers, communities and athletes surrounding the event, more and more, all providing clear lessons for businesses involved in future major sports events.

“We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands their lives”, - Hummel, Danish sportswear manufacturing company.

And it wasn't just lessons they were providing, but also clear messages and actions by brands and participants to highlight human rights concerns. Sportswear giant Hummel, the manufacturer of the Danish World Cup team jersey, developed a plain, all-black, “color of mourning”, third kit for the tournament, thus hiding its corporate logo to memorialize the migrant workers who died during the 11-year period of construction for the event.

“FIFA: a cartel like group of scumbags and assorted criminals who occasionally put on soccer matches. FIFA has always been terrible” - John Oliver

With this backdrop, FIFA awards Qatar the World Cup. Why??Money. One could be convinced that a Wikipedia search on the word “corruption”, would render images of FIFA members either in handcuffs, jails or in lavish restaurants with Rolex’s or on luxury yachts of their new “best friends.” With articles appearing with such titles, ”Let's count all the ways FIFA is corrupt”, it is of little surprise that in Spring of 2015 in connection to the awarding of the World Cup 2022 to Qatar, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrested 41 people based on evidence of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption, including bribery and money laundering of $150 million. ?Of those arrested, 17 FIFA executives were either indicted or convicted of criminal corruption. 10 of the 22-member FIFA executive committee which voted on the Qatar deal, received a six-year ban from football activity for ethics violations. This included the then FIFA President Blatter, who was also charged with the fraud of 2 million Swiss francs in a separate Swiss investigation. To date, only 5 of the 24 committee members at the time, managed to keep a clean name.

The Sunday Times alleged that Qatar spent more than $5?million directly bribing officials outright?to vote in its favor with emails indicating that one executive member received $2 million dollars and another 3 members, $1 million each. Qatar also spent $200 million on its bid, including?promises to build soccer training facilities in the home countries of some executive committee members.

Blatter, who is valued at having a net worth of $40 million, had rushed through the selection of 2 World Cup tournaments, which diverged from the common practice of 1 tournament chosen every 4 years. Many have pointed to the fact that at the time of the bidding, many of the Executive Committee members were either close to or had retired. Blatter was a ripe 74 at the time. They would have been keen on bucketing in on their kickbacks rather than back kicking into their buckets. Blatter has since called awarding Qatar hosting rights a "mistake".

And whilst FIFA behaved with pure greed, it does take two to tango as the saying goes. And Qatar had not only danced their convincingly suave and seductive tango steps with FIFA officials but also with other political institutions, including the recent wave of jailed European Union parliamentarians in relation to corruption in the Qatar scandal probe, or what has been dubbed as “Qatar-gate”. Belgian watchdogs say it could be the “most serious,” “most shocking,” “most egregious” corruption scandal to hit Brussels in years. ?

A motion for a resolution on suspicions of corruption from Qatar and the broader need for transparency and accountability in the European institutions was tabled as soon as alleged illicit lobbying activities by Qatar had surfaced. 16 homes were searched and at least four people detained are undergoing investigation on criminal organization, corruption and money laundering. Qatar is accused of targeting officials “with a significant political and/or strategic position” at the Parliament and sending them “substantial amounts of money” and “important gifts,” according to the prosecutor’s statement. Investigators in Brussels suspect that Qatar used money and gifts to influence economic and political decisions in the Parliament.

“The World Cup in Qatar is proof, actually, of how sports diplomacy can achieve a historical transformation of a country with reforms that inspired the Arab world. I alone said that Qatar is a frontrunner in labour rights.” Kaili in the EU parliament.

Among those arrested or detained was Eva Kaili, EU Parliament Vice President, where authorities found bags at her apartment containing €600,000 cash. Others included Kaili’s partner and co-parent, Francesco Giorgi, an adviser on the Middle East and North Africa region in the European Parliament and founder of an NGO called Fight Impunity, Luca Visentini, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation, Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former S&D MEP from Italy who chaired the Parliament’s human rights subcommittee and Fight Impunity’s President, Panzeri’s wife and daughter were also arrested by Italian police, Niccolò Figà-Talamanca the Director General of another NGO, No Peace Without Justice but registered at the same address as Fight Impunity. Belgian Socialist MEP Marc Tarabella, who declared that “thanks to the World Cup, Qatar has become a good example to follow for the other countries in the neighborhood,” also had his house raided.

Qatar also danced its seductive steps with the US. According to Open Secrets, Qatari officials had a separate budget of $72 million that they used for lobbying in the US. Officially, this is more than the National Rifle Association. Using the World Cup as their calling card, the public relations campaign aimed to bolster the foreign influence in the USA. And although Qatar is?one of the least free countries?in the world, according to the non-profit human rights watchdog Freedom House, foreign agents have developed a progressive, innovative image of the Qatari government which they have presented to policymakers, civil servants and others in Washington, D.C., and beyond. That image focused on?culture, American?national security?and naturally?football. A distorted image as reality is hardly progressive, for example - inequality.

Qatari women face significant discrimination and inequality and are often denied access to education, employment, and other basic rights. The recent Human Rights Watch report evidence that women have almost no rights and are subject to Qatar's “male guardianship law ". Women and girls need permission from their male guardians to marry, work in many government jobs and travel abroad - all their lives. Women are born into a guardianship starting patrilineal, through their father, or close relative and are dedicated and devoted members of their father's lineage. She maintains close ties to that lineage until she marries, where she then is a member of her husband’s lineage and members of the husband's family.

Men dominate all aspects of Qatar, starting from the Emir, whose cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials are all members of the Al Thani family and are also overwhelmingly male. Gender roles are relatively distinct whilst men engage in the public sphere more frequently than do women and schooling being gender segregated. Most marriages are arranged with the parents of the male approaching the female’s guardian, and although the prospective bride can either accept or refuse, the latter is uncommon as social norms dictate otherwise. They also dictate that a woman does not instigate any such arrangements. Women are also discouraged to marry non-Gulf citizens and must get official permission to marry a noncitizen. She may have to give up the promise of government employment and other benefits.

As sex outside of marriage is illegal, pregnant women have to present a marriage certificate to receive prenatal care. Polygyny is religiously and legally sanctioned. Qatari women convicted for "illicit relations" may be imprisoned for up to seven years,?even when they have been raped if the judge thinks they are lying. Many women who get pregnant with an?illegitimate child?are jailed.?

It is not just women, FIFA and Qatar gave assurances when the men’s World Cup was awarded that they would uphold human rights standards and freedom of assembly, but these promises had not been fulfilled.?Despite calls from human rights organizations and LGBT+ advocates, FIFA has refused to even take a strong stance against Qatar's treatment of the LGBT+ community.

FIFA granted the World Cup to a country that has strict laws that consider homosexuality a crime. Criminalizing homosexuality are a clear violation of international human rights standards, which recognize the right of all individuals to be free from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.

LGBT+ advocates long argued that the country is not fit to host the prestigious international football event as Qatar has long been criticized for its treatment of the LGBT+ community. Those found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual activity can face severe penalties and are subject to state violence, entrapment, imprisonment, and solitary confinement and are beaten, raped, killed or deported.

Human Rights Watch found that Qatari security forces, known as the Preventive Security Department forces, hunt down LGBT+ people on dating apps, using fake profiles to lure victims to hotel rooms only to arrest and imprison them. Human Rights Watch reported that LGBT+ people interviewed said that their mistreatment took place as recently as September 2022.

Human Rights Watch documented six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022.?All said that Preventive Security Department officers detained them in an underground prison in Al Dafneh, Doha, where they verbally harassed and subjected detainees to physical abuse, ranging from slapping to kicking and punching until they bled. One woman said she lost consciousness. Security officers also inflicted verbal abuse, extracted forced confessions, and denied detainees access to legal counsel, family, and medical care. All six said that police forced them to sign pledges indicating that they would “cease immoral activities”. FIFA would have also been aware of a US citizen who was sentenced to six months imprisonment and received 90 lashes for alleged “homosexual activity”.

The situation for LGBT+ individuals in Qatar is particularly concerning as most LGBT+ individuals in Qatar are forced to live in secrecy and fear. This is particularly true for those who are not Qatari citizens, as they are at even greater risk of discrimination and persecution. Qatar's cultural and religious norms are typical of a conservative Muslim country, and many people hold traditional views on sexuality and gender and LGBT+ individuals may face discrimination and even violence from their families, communities, and the wider society.

FIFA was aware that they were awarding this major event to a country where homosexuality is?illegal and has a history of horrific human rights violations. Days after Qatar was awarded the tournament Blatter was asked by a journalist what advice he would give to gay fans who might want to travel to Qatar. Blatter responded with an underlying smirk which widened, “I would say then, that they should refrain from any sexual activities”, to which he mildly chortled to himself, as did the audience.

"Do you have a flag? No flag, no country! That's the rules.” - Eddie Izzard, transgender comedian, actor and activist, Dress to Kill, 1999

In December 2020, Joyce Cook, FIFA’s Chief Social Responsibility and Education Officer, stated that, in accordance with FIFA's tolerance and inclusion policy, Qatar would not restrict the display of pro-LGBT+ imagery at matches during the World Cup and that included the rainbow flag and even though the conservative religious code prohibiting same-sex relations conflicts with FIFA’s stance against homophobia.

2 years later in April 2022, Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansarim, who is the director of the Department of International Cooperation and chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior in Qatar, mentioned that rainbow flags could be taken from fans at the World Cup in Qatar to protect them from being attacked for promoting gay rights. It seems the country back peddled as the Major General added,

“You want to demonstrate your view about the (LGBT+) situation?? Demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted”.

Nor did it seem that tolerance was being preached by those representing the sport and the country. World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman, a former Qatari national soccer player, declared in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality is “damage in the mind” and that being gay is “haram,” or forbidden in Arabic.

FIFA has a responsibility to hold host authorities accountable to an international rights-respecting standard, including on LGBT+ rights. So, in an attempt to remedy the situation, FIFA developed a?Sustainability Strategy for the World Cup. This however fell short of meaningfully?mentioning the rights of LGBT+ people. With no written procedural standards, FIFA held a series of meetings with an independent human rights working group - the LGBT+ Human Rights Sports Coalition and the Qatar Supreme Committee. The Qatari security forces were tasked to submit guidelines on how they would deal with LGBT+ issues during the World Cup and a protocol report with the content of the training conducted for police forces to ensure sensitivity towards the LGBT+ community. The Supreme Committee stated that they could not provide the requested documentation when pressed for the details. Human rights organizations and LGBT+ advocates were surprised when Infantino defended the host by labeling the Westerners as hypocrites and said they should stop “handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world”.??He also hinted at racism and the pretext Qataris are using of claiming they are victims of global Islamophobia.

Infantino argued that the World Cup should not be used as a platform to address human rights issues and even went further to claim credit that ”all the changes that have happened in this country in terms of human rights and workers’ rights, and so on, human rights... would not have happened, or certainly not at the same speed without the projectors of the World Cup”

With FIFA refusing to take a strong stance against Qatar's treatment of the LGBT+ community, FIFA had sent clear messages that discrimination against LGBT+ individuals is acceptable and that human rights should not be a priority. FIFA supported and defended the host's actions, to the point of embroiling themselves in further anguish by retaliation for a number of European teams and footballers, as they expressed their intention to wear the rainbow-colored "One Love" armbands during matches as a symbol of support for LGBT+ rights.

In true form, FIFA threatened the players and told the seven nations planning to wear the “OneLove” armbands that they would be sanctioned and penalized as punishment if they were to wear them. The players were put in a difficult position, having to choose between solidarity or fairness to the game.

The matter boiled over to international diplomatic tension. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized a decision by international soccer's governing body FIFA to threaten players at the World Cup with yellow cards for misconduct?if they wear rainbow "One Love" armbands?supporting inclusion and diversity. Speaking next to his Qatari counterpart, Blinken said "any restrictions on freedom of expression" were "always concerning" to the United States.

German Federal Minister of Interior Nancy Faeser emphasized that the awarding of major sporting events such as the upcoming World Cup should be linked to criteria, “namely, compliance with?human rights?and principles of sustainability”. To this Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded clarification for these remarks and hauled in Germany’s ambassador to Qatar and handed him an objection memo expressing the Gulf nation’s disappointment as well as complete rejection and condemnation of remarks made by the Minister.

Then, on the eve of the World Cup, FIFA withdrew from an international conference about LGBT+ rights in Qatar. Andreas Graf, FIFA’s Head of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination, was due to speak at the online event, entitled “LGBT+ Rights in Qatar: Men’s World Cup 2022 and Beyond”, but pulled out shortly before it began. The football governing body’s head of human rights ‘did not want to speak to this issue in front of a wide audience’.

The half-day conference was organized by?ILGA World?– a leading international LGBT+ rights organization – and the?LGBT+ Human Rights Sports Coalition.

Speakers included the UN’s Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity - Victor Madrigal-Borloz. Also on the panel was German Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former Premier League player who came out as gay in 2014 and is currently the Ambassador for Diversity at the German Football Association (DFB). Representing the U.K. was Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds. “While our players and fans are doing us proud on and off the pitch, they are all being let down by FIFA,”, said Dodds. She added,

“Qatar should never have been awarded the World Cup”.

Hiltzsperger also criticized FIFA’s president for his approach to concerns about Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup. “Gianni Infantino doesn’t care, he lives on a different planet”. Backing his colleague, former Germany captain and football legend, Philipp Lahm accused Infantino of 'taking advantage of the game' and saying that “he has no integrity!'.

Hours before the start of the World Cup, the seven "armband" national football teams sullenly admitted defeat and complied with FIFA's demands, though disgruntled teams still managed to globally demonstrate their frustration at FIFA and the host nation.

"Please, let's now focus on the football….please let football take centre stage."- FIFA President Infantino

It is hard for football to take center stage when FIFA seems to favor awarding the World Cup to countries led by rouge dictators. This may be one of the underlying necessary criteria for FIFA in searching for the ultimate host – being an autocratic leader, as FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke once claimed that he was,

“..going to say something crazy… Too much democracy can be a hindrance when organizing a World Cup,”. Explaining further, “When you have a very strong head of state who can decide, as maybe Putin can do in 2018...that is easier for us organizers than a country such as Germany.”. ?

It is of no wonder that Infantino said it was not beyond possibility that football’s showpiece event could one day take place in North Korea despite unsuccessfully trying to convince the dictatorship nation to co-host the Women's tournament.

FIFA has long had a soft spot for autocrats. FIFA’s first flirt with autocracy was with Italy’s fascist dictator Benito “Il Duce” Mussolini. The second World Cup was awarded to Italy, an Orwellian police state, which since 1922 was ruled by Mussolini and his band of violent Camicie Nere, (Blackshirts). His power had been repressive and violent with political enemies murdered, and any citizens muttering disapprovals disappearing.

Mussolini, a football fan, recognized that hosting and ultimately winning the World Cup would boost propaganda for his totalitarian regime. The dictator wanted to show the rest of the world just how effective, organized and productive his fascist society could be. However, Mussolini’s fascist Italy, with its police violence and aggressive Roman Empire-inspired foreign policy, was generally perceived to be an unsuitable host, with Sweden tipped as the favorite. Mussolini’s government and the Italian Football Association allegedly issued illegal payments and employed intimidation tactics. Before the final vote, Italian football chief Giovanni Mauro is said to have assured FIFA that was Italy to host such a tournament, any losses would be covered by Il Duce. True to its reputation, FIFA promptly awarded a fascist country the right to host the second World Cup. The matches were manipulated in favor of the host and the fascist state claimed victory.

"We Argentines are right and human." - Government slogan

Fast forward to 1978 when FIFA went ahead with the World Cup to be hosted by Argentina - a military dictatorship. The 1978 World Cup?has been compared to the 1936 Olympics, which Nazi Germany used to glorify its own regime. The Argentine military dictatorship had taken power by carrying out its "dirty war" of kidnappings and torture. There were calls to boycott the 1978 World Cup, but the tournament went ahead with the then FIFA President Brazilian Joao Havelange giving his blessing with his pockets lined with Argentine pesos and promises of football stadiums. Incidentally, Havelange was also frequently criticized for being autocratic, as well as corrupt, with his career ending in disgrace, resigning after the Ethics Committee substantiated bribery allegations.

Argentina won that World Cup, possibly by rigging a crucial game. At the exact moment the fourth goal went into the net, a bomb exploded in the home of a government minister who had criticized the expenditures of the General in charge of the tournament. When reflecting on the 1978 World Cup in 2013 Blatter?stated, "I was happy Argentina won… This was a kind of reconciliation of the public, of the people of Argentina, with the system, the political system, the military system at the time." Blatter’s comments lack any global reflection and are purely self-serving, alluding to the notion that the 1978 World Cup wasn’t just about sport and that it was a net positive for humanity.

In October 2022, an interesting meeting took place between 2 world leaders in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana. Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was lauding another world leader and his team, boasting about their relationship, stating how these “friends have provided great support to Qatar, especially in terms of organization, with the organizing committee of the 2022 World Cup,”, the Emir added with fondness, “We thank you for this and we are proud of this relationship. This will continue until the end of the World Cup. I am very happy to see you, Mr. President. Thank you.”,

The Emir, of course, was with and referring to Russian President Vladmir Putin and the “Russian great success in organizing the 2018 World Cup”. The Russian president in turn wished Qatar success in hosting this year’s event, adding, “We are also doing everything we can in terms of transferring the experience of preparing for the World Cup, you know this, we just had the opportunity to talk about it with you,” Putin said. “I would like to wish you success in holding this major event. I’m sure that it will be a success.” Putin and the Emir both rule arguably autocratic and wield immense power in the countries.

“This (Qatar) FIFA World Cup, a tournament of peace and unity will be the one that brings the world together after some difficult times. We should never underestimate the unifying power, of something so unique.” - Infantino

The fact that Infantino claims of a unique unifying power, a tournament of peace obviously was not the case in the 2018 World Cup. Russia was destroying peace, defragmenting geo-political alliances, invading sovereign territories and torturing minority populations.

Russia was awarded the hosting of the 2018 World Cup, and the same night Qatar also was awarded the 2022 World Cup, which was 2 years after Russia invaded Georgia. The voting was just as stacked. Russia too grew criticism as in Qatar, they had their fair share of repressive government interventions and civil liberties were capped, brutal campaigns against gay men were sweeping through Chechnya and the government's respect for freedom of expression and freedom of the media was questionable. If Qatar should have had its hosting rights revoked, so to Russia.

FIFA was called out on their awarding Russia the 2018 World Cup. Human rights advocates report on the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, its annexation of Crimea in 2014, the precursor to its current Ukraine invasion, its brutal intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015, which propped up dictator Bashar al-Assad, the 2013 laws that were introduced to further impinge the civil liberties of the LGBT+ population, which allowed for the discrimination of LGBT+ individuals. FIFA still allowed Russia to keep the World Cup with Blatter stating that "the World Cup has been given and voted to Russia and we are going forward with our work".

Russia violated international treaties and invaded sovereign territory, claiming it in a fixed and unjust referendum. Russian troops captured strategic sites across Crimea, followed by the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea, the Crimean status referendum and the declaration of Crimea's independence on 16 March 2014. Although Russia initially claimed its military was not involved in the events, Putin later admitted that troops were deployed to "stand behind Crimea's self-defense forces". Russia formally incorporated Crimea on 18 March 2014.

Following several reports of direct military involvement of Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine, European diplomats revealed on 29 August 2014 that British Prime Minister David Cameron was working for Russia to be stripped of its hosting of the World Cup, as part of an extended sanctions package. Some days later it was revealed that this was on the list of proposals for extended EU sanctions against Russia. However, no immediate action was taken due to the fact that the proposal was made nearly four years before the tournament.

Russia was criticized for alleged abuse of migrant laborers in the construction of World Cup venues, with Human Rights Watch reporting cases where workers were left unpaid, made to work in dangerously cold conditions, or suffered reprisals for raising concerns. A few pundits claimed it was slave labor. In May 2017, Infantino admitted there had been human rights abuses of North Korean workers involved in the construction of Saint Petersburg's Zenit Arena. By June 2017, at least 17 workers had died on World Cup construction sites, according to Building and Wood Workers’ International. In August, a group of eight US senators called on FIFA to consider dismissing Russia as the World Cup host if an independent investigation verified allegations of North Koreans being subjected to forced labor.

Anti-gay social attitudes and homophobia are widespread in Russia. In Chechnya, these attitudes are fuelled by the leadership of the local?strongman, Ramzan Kadyrov. LGBT+ people are in danger of being attacked by the authorities as well as being victims of “honor killings” perpetrated by their own relatives–a lawless practice against those who supposedly tarnish family honor. The threats against the media will also hamper any transparent investigations into these serious allegations of abductions, torture, and killing of gay men?in Chechnya.

There is also concern with the amount of racism and Neo-Nazi symbols displayed in the past by some Russian football fans which drew criticism, with documented incidents of racial chants, banners spewing hate-filled messages, and sometimes assaults on people from the Caucasus and Central Asia. In March 2015, FIFA's then Vice President Jeffrey Webb said that Russia posed a huge challenge from a racism standpoint and that a World Cup could not be held there under the current conditions. United Nations anti-discrimination official Yuri Boychenko said that Russian soccer authorities had failed to fully grasp what racism was and needed to do more to combat it.

FIFA is uniquely positioned to press Russian authorities at the highest level, rather than taking a stand for humanity, Infantino told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting at the Kremlin after the World Cup in July 2018 that the world "all fell in love with Russia," over the past four weeks and repeated his praise for Putin's government and the organization put in place for the tournament.

He also added that preconceived notions of the country had been changed by their positive experiences. Infantino finds it important to openly declare that "Everyone has discovered a beautiful country, a welcoming country, full of people keen to show to the world what may be sometimes said is not what happens here." He then goes on to tell the audience, in Putin’s presence, in a bromance-style commentary, that, “This is not the end, it is only the beginning of our fruitful cooperation and interaction.”, referring to his special friendship with the Russian autocrat, who had just honored him with the Russian Order of Friendship medal.

“The World Cup has changed the perception of the world towards Russia," - Infantino

Infantino, again, showing his lack of integrity, does not even see the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as enough pretext for him to publicly distance himself from the autocratic leader. Instead, he develops even deeper entangled in Putin’s orbit, even when his judgment was being questioned for so zealously indulging the president’s vanity. Infantino seemingly chooses power and profit over morality when it comes to dealing with rulers, he has a personal connection to, and still sticks to the catchphrase, “This is a new image of Russia that we now have.”, believing that this is palatable in today’s current political environment. At the press conference, FIFA did not respond to questions about whether Infantino had used his line to Putin to urge the troops to be pulled out of Ukraine as the death toll and destruction mount.

The new legislation signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday banning any favorable public depiction of LGBT+ relationships or identities is a profoundly dangerous ploy to shore up mob support for the Kremlin by harnessing popular prejudice — and one that risks endangering some of the most vulnerable members of Russian society.

The whole legal interjection has been masterminded by the Kremlin is once again attempting to distract the population by looking for internal enemies to bolster Putin's popularity and all-important approval ratings. The new crisis the President faces is that Russian defeats continue to mount in Ukraine, and domestic discontent grows over mobilization and sanctions including Russia's international isolation. The Duma dutifully also passed new laws banning anti-war demonstrations, criminalizing the spread of "fake news" about the war, and introducing military censorship. Through the law banning the public depiction of LGBT+ relationships, the Kremlin is sending an unequivocal message that violence against queer people is acceptable. Hate crimes against LGBT+ people in Russia increased significantly after the introduction of the original anti-LGBT+ 2013 law. There is concern that the adoption of more state-sponsored homophobia will inevitably lead to yet another wave of violence, and further increase the LGBT+ suicide rate, particularly among teenagers.

As Russian defeats continue to mount in Ukraine and domestic discontent grows over mobilization, sanctions, and Russia's international isolation, the Kremlin is once again attempting to distract the population by looking for internal enemies to bolster Putin's all-important approval ratings. No doubt that the FIFA World Cup in 2018 also added to the country’s sport-washing.

Considering the disgraceful display of friendship between FIFA and the Russian autocrat warmonger, and not standing firm on human rights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a window of opportunity had opened for FIFA to sort of “right their wrong”. They had a final chance to salvage some grace from its shamefulness. The embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded with FIFA to be allowed to share a message of peace before the beginning Qatar World Cup final match. With the threat of the Russian invasion prolonging into Christmas and winter, Zelensky was keen to promote peace and prosperity and a call for humanity. FIFA officials turned down the request, and Infantino kept his Russian Order of Friendship medal.

If Qatar and Russia should have had their hosting rights revoked based on their track record of human rights, criticism on backsliding on international human rights standards and authoritarian misuse of power, social inequality and gender-based discrimination, then we must also reconsider retracting the hosting rights of the 2026 World Cup from the USA as this approach would also raise questions about the eligibility of some current and future World Cup hosts, including the United States. ?Adopting a policy of only hosting the World Cup in countries with impeccable human rights records, would deem the United States as no longer eligible to host the tournament.

Victor Madrigal-Borloz,?UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, warned that LGBT+ rights in the USA are being eroded and urged for stronger safeguards. The expert had been in the USA upon the invitation of President Biden and was tasked with investigating the situation of LGBT+ people in the USA. Madrigal-Borloz witnessed community members with stories of harrowing trauma and unspeakable pain. He said LGBT+ persons, and particularly LGBT+ persons of color, continue to face significant inequality in relation to health, education, employment, and housing, as well as being disproportionately impacted by violence.?The expert recognized that significant measures have been adopted by the Biden administration to address these challenges, but they were under a concerted attack.

“I am deeply alarmed by a widespread, profoundly negative riptide created by deliberate actions to roll back the human rights of LGBT+ people at state level,” he said, noting that these include deeply discriminatory measures seeking to rebuild stigma against lesbian and gay persons, limiting comprehensive sexual and gender education for all, and access to gender-affirming treatment, sports and single-sex facilities for trans and gender diverse persons." - Victor Madrigal-Borloz,?UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

On the eve of the World Cup commencement and the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, 5 people were killed in Club Q, an LGBT+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. 25 others were injured. The senseless shooting was at the hands of a lone gunperson a non-binary 22-year-old. President Joe Biden said, "While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBT+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that anti-LGBT+ political discourse is partially to blame for the shooting referring to the recent social media surge in hate speech. The shooting also revoked discussions on the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms.

The recent rise in Hate Speech in particular on Twitter was unprecedented around the time, as it was when Elon Musk took over Twitter and announced a broad amnesty for most previously banned accounts with fringe activists, white nationalists and a new wave of antisemitism. Twitter is uniting and popularising some of the same extremists who have helped push people to engage in violent protests. They included Kanye West, who came back to Twitter saying, ?“There’s a lot of things that I love about Hitler.”

Anti-LGBT+ slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Elon Musk took over. They surged to 3,964 times a day a 58% increase the day he started. There is also evidence to say that the Colorado Springs assassin had been using social media to troll and also felt emboldened by reading about other recent LGBT+ attacks, including the shootings at gay bars in Bratislava and Oslo.

Another dimension not to be overlooked is that former US President Trump also had his account reinstated. Trump has used his Twitter account to regularly instruct his “followers” and arguably was the communication tool used to command the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. The USA is currently a country divided, polarised by big-ticket issues with social inequalities being played out on the streets.

The US government issued a travel advisory to LGBT+ people, with the Office of Homeland Security publishing a warning that violence and harassment have increased in the USA against the LGBT+ population, and had asked for LGBT+ communities to remain vigilant and careful in light of the recent reported cases of attacks.

How can the USA host a World Cup with a backdrop of violent social inequalities, lacks of gun laws and communication uncensored encouraging hate speech? Added to this is the fact the USA has not ratified several international UN global treaties. They include the Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Further to this, the USA is one of the few countries that still has the death penalty in place. Under President Trump, there was a lifting on the pause of executions, and the acceleration of executions was an executive priority.

Less than half of FIFA’s national federations have girls’ soccer programs. Those that do exist give a girl less access to facilities, less support, and poorer development pathways than her brother. She will play in competitions with less investment, minimal promotion, and consequently fewer fans than the all-important male versions. - Moya Dodd, Chairwoman of FIFA’s Task Force for Women’s Football and former Australian footballer on the endemic human rights challenge of gender discrimination in the world of association football.

Aspects on the protection of women’s rights in particular girls in the USA are often not reported. There is no federal law that regulates or enforces the minimal age of marriage for girls. There are many states that allow girls to marry before they are 18. Some states have ages like 14 or 16, others are left open. To date, there are an estimated 300,000 girls married under the age of 18, the youngest being 10.

The situation has allowed for loopholes for sex offenders. The federal criminal code prohibits sex with a child aged 12 to 15 but specifically exempts those who first marry the child. This incentivizes child marriage and implicitly endorses child rape. The lack of protection for girls allows for the covering up of what would otherwise be considered a sex crime.

The US Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Denying access to safe abortions will cause significant health consequences and the deepest impacts will be borne disproportionately by women and families of color and those in a low-income bracket. “The numbers of abortions will not substantially decrease, they will just be much more difficult to obtain and in some cases, much less safe,”?increased maternal mortality rates will be attributed to the increase in unsafe abortions that will occur as a result of abortions being illegal. The physical health effects of being denied an abortion may also vary due to an individual’s prior and present health circumstances. The USA already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any developed country.

Other consequence of the overturning includes realities such as victims of sexual violence like rape and incest could be forced to carry a child to term in some states. Transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people, are often left out of the reproductive rights discussion. Transgender individuals?already face?discrimination in healthcare settings as is, and are often targeted by conservative lawmakers and?anti-trans legislation. Experts say that abortions will only become more costly. Doctors who provide care to individuals living in states with restricted access could face legal consequences.

Whilst it is the responsibility of the host country to ensure the safety and well-being of all individuals attending the tournament, its FIFA’s job to ensure that the host selected can best deliver on those responsibilities.

FIFA’s April 2016 statutes state, “FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.” A 2016 report by business and human rights expert John Ruggie calls on FIFA to “translate its commitment to respect human rights…into its daily actions and decisions” and to start “building and using its leverage” to address human rights risks in World Cup host countries.?Businesses have a role too in promoting and advocating and also avoiding any potential reputation damage.

? “I think we have criticised Qatar a lot, but FIFA has not been mentioned enough, because they’re responsible for this. FIFA is the cause of the problem. And there has to be drastic changes after this World Cup when it comes to FIFA . ” - Thomas Hitzlsperger, Ambassador for Diversity at the German Football Association (DFB) & gay former Premier League player.

FIFA, Blatter, Infantino and cohorts have given free passes to several hosts of the World Cup. The World Cup’s reputation is tarnished by widespread criticism and concerns. If FIFA wants to move away from its image of “a cartel of scumbags and assorted criminals”, they need to take a strong stance for humanity, against discrimination and acknowledge corruption.

And whilst FIFA has argued that the World Cup should not be used as a platform to address human rights issues, neither should it be a platform exploited for political PR purposes.to flaunt and hero-worship corrupt dictators.

Focus on the football.

Football is played in countries with impeccable human rights records that are carefully and transparently selected for their tolerance and their respect for the rights and dignity of all individuals.?