The Belgian national football squad is heading for the World Cup in Qatar soon, but for many the host nation remains controversial. Qatar has a poor human rights’ record including on LGTB+ rights and countless people died as a result of unsafe conditions during the construction of the stadiums. VRT brought several voices together to consider how we should approach this event.
Corruption led to FIFA awarding the World Cup to Qatar in 2010. In twelve years seven new football stadiums, hundreds of hotels, new roads and a new metro system were constructed. Thousands of lives were lost.
Eva Demaré of human rights’ organisation 11.11.11 says estimates of the number of workers killed range from 7,000 to 11,000. Nobody seems to know the exact figure, but one thing is certain, says Eva, a lot of people died. She claims the 30,000 migrant workers, from Nepal, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines were attracted with false promises and had to work in appalling circumstances for a pittance.
The human rights expert reports progress in recent years. A minimum wage for migrant workers was introduced as were stricter safety regulations. Initially migrant workers were not allowed to leave the country, but the system has now been improved, though Eva signals abuse still occurs.
Researcher Jolien Goossens can’t understand why people will still watch the World Cup. She feels VRT should not broadcast the matches. “If this isn’t beyond the pale, what is?” she wonders. She points to the deaths, the corruption, the suppression and the exploitation.
VRT spokesman Jan Sulmont explains it’s VRT’s role to provide neutral journalism on Qatar and to show the World Cup. “The World Cup has great news value both with regard to sports and the way the event is experienced by society”.
Jolien says reports on the malpractices aren’t enough. “All this attention is so without obligation. The World Cup was moved to the winter because football players can’t be expected to play in the heat for 90 minutes, but a labourer who had to carry stones weighing 60 kilos last summer, that wasn’t a problem”.
Hannes Van der Bruggen is a Cercle Brugge player. He understands Jolien’s indignation and agrees with the to-do around the event but doesn’t believe a boycott is the answer. He feels players should not have to suffer for decisions made above their heads. “The Cup is the highlight of our career. Some players only experience it once. When Qatar was selected some players were only 11 or 12” says the 29-year-old. “If you expect the players to boycott then you are punishing the wrong people”.
Hannes believes players should have the right to voice their feelings: “The Australian team recorded a video. The Danish team will play in black shirts as a mark of mourning These are sound statements. News channels must correctly report on human rights abuse. All eyes are on Qatar. Let’s use that to the best of our ability”.