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The long awaited 2022 FIFA World Cup is now here and being hosted in Qatar from November 20th to December 18th. Games will be played across eight stadiums, all within a 22 mile radius of Doha, the capital city. Qatar won the right to host after a controversial bidding process in which several FIFA members were accused of bribery, amongst other corrupt practices. Not only was the bidding process problematic, but Qatar's suitability to host has repeatedly been called into question for a number of reasons, including the hot climate and more concerningly, their human rights record.
The extreme heat Qatar sees in the summer months has resulted in the World Cup being hosted in the winter for the first time in its history. FIFA has also changed game times to early morning and nighttime in order to avoid the peak temperatures. However, people are still concerned as temperatures can reach extremes of between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit in November and December, and it's unclear whether stadiums will be equipped to accommodate spectators. Qatar and FIFA are facing a predicament of meeting both the promise that stadiums will be equipped with adequate air conditioning for fans while also meeting FIFA’s pledge that this world cup will be carbon neutral.
Moreover, Qatar has been accused by several global human rights organizations of human rights abuses for not having ensured the safety or adequate working conditions of the people hired to build the stadiums, many of whom are migrant workers. Throughout the entirety of the construction process, Amnesty International has been highly critical, issuing statements like the following: “Construction companies and the Qatari authorities alike are failing migrant workers. Employers in Qatar have displayed an appalling disregard for the basic human rights of migrant workers. Many are taking advantage of a permissive environment and lax enforcement of labour protections to exploit construction workers.” The Qatari government has denied these allegations and largely ignored addressing them. Despite these many controversies, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is still planned to go forth in Qatar.
Seven stadiums have been constructed to host the 64 games of this year’s World Cup tournament. Al Bayt Stadium hosted the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20, as well as eight other games throughout the tournament. It was built specifically for this year's World Cup, with its design intending to pay tribute to the past and present of Qatar, while also looking forward to the country’s future. According to the FIFA website, “The stadium takes its name from ‘bayt al sha’ar’ – which were tents historically used by nomadic peoples in Qatar and the Gulf region.” The building was awarded a five-star rating for its design by the Global Sustainability Assessment System and will be converted into a five-star hotel, shopping mall, and several sports facilities after the tournament.
Al Thumama Stadium will host seven games during this year's World Cup. According to the FIFA site, the stadium’s design represents the gahfiya, a traditional woven cap worn by men and boys across the Middle East as a symbol of dignity and independence. The stadium was built with the intention of being a hub for exercise and consumer activity with facilities for handball, volleyball, basketball and swimming, as well as a number of retail and commercial units after the World Cup.
Khalifa International Stadium will house eight games this World Cup. As it is the oldest stadium in this World Cup tournament, having opened in 1976, it is somewhat of a cultural hub amongst the other stadiums. Khalifa lies in the Aspire Zone -- Qatar’s sporting district – which is also home to Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital, Aspire Dome (the world’s largest indoor multipurpose sports hall), Hamad Aquatics Centre, and Aspire Park. The stadium is also adjacent to the Torch Doha Hotel and Villagio Mall. It underwent major renovations in 2019 to prepare for the demands of hosting the World Cup and has achieved a grade five in the global sustainability Assessment System.
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium was built in 2020 for the World Cup and will host seven matches. It was built using materials from a deconstructed stadium also named Ahmad bin Ali Stadium that once occupied the same space. According to FIFA’s site, “the modular upper tier will be removed after the tournament, with the seats being repurposed into sporting facilities in Qatar and overseas.”
Al Janoub Stadium was also built in 2020 and will also hold seven matches. It is notable due to the number of Qatari companies that have invested in its construction, including MIDMAC and PORR Qatar; Coastal, which has manufactured the stadium seats; and SOLB26, which has manufactured the steel for the stadium. The stadium’s capacity will be reduced from 40,000 to 20,000 after the tournament, and the excess seats will be donated to football development projects overseas. The design is inspired by the sails of traditional dhow boats, in tribute to Al Wakrah’s seafaring past.
Education City Stadium was built in 2020 and will host eight games. The stadium features triangles that form complex, diamond-like geometrical patterns which appear to change color with the sun’s movement across the sky to represent quality, durability and resilience. It is built inside of several university campuses hence the name. The stadium's upper tier will be removed and the seats will be donated to a country which lacks sporting infrastructure.
Stadium 974, finished in 2021, will host seven games. It was built out of 974 recycled shipping containers and will be deconstructed after the World Cup making it the first temporary venue in World Cup history. It is a waterfront stadium which pays homage to the site's industrial history.
Finally, Lusail Stadium will host ten matches, including the final. It is the biggest tournament venue finished in 2022. It will be repurposed after the games to be a community center that includes housing units, shops, food outlets, health clinics, and a school. The upper tier might also be repurposed into outdoor terraces for new homes, and a community football pitch might potentially be built within the premises. According to FIFA’s site, “the stadium's design is inspired by the interplay of light and shadow that characterizes the 'fanar' lantern. Lusail's shape and facade echo the intricate decorative motifs on bowls and other vessels characteristic of the golden age of art and craftsmanship in the Arab and Islamic world.”
Most of these stadiums are newly constructed or have been heavily renovated within the last few years, to support the demands of hosting the World Cup. Qatar has reportedly spent 300 billion dollars on infrastructure projects in total, further begging the question as to why so many labor rights have been violated in the construction process if the country can afford such costly renovations. To build the infrastructure, Qatar employed a reported 30,000 laborers with most coming from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Philippines. 6,500 people have reportedly died due to poor working conditions, and many of these migrant workers are having their salaries withheld, are forced to pay recruitment fees, have had their passports taken away, and are forced to live in uninhabitable conditions. The choice for the Qatari government and FIFA to make claims that stadiums like Stadium 974 for instance, serve as a nod to Qatar's industrial history and is further a symbol of sustainable habits, is questionable when they show such blatant disregard for human life in the present. One questions whether they actually value the people that make up the Qatari industrial sector that they claim to pay homage to with Stadium 974, or if they are simply trying to paint a more appealing picture of their labor practices.
Additionally, while many of the stadiums will eventually be either converted into public spaces, kept as a sporting arena, or have sections sent off to other nations for future use, the amount of materials that have gone into these many projects is concerning given the current environmental crisis. Scientists and climate experts agree that the tourism industry is highly unsustainable, yet Qatar's heavy investments in the World Cup demonstrates that there is no sign of countries slowing down economic developments within the sector of tourism. Aside from the stadiums, 100 new hotels, roads, a new metro system linking the stadiums, a new airport to handle the expected 1,300 daily flights, hospitality centers and shopping malls among other facilities are being built. To that end, many of the World Cup spaces will also be converted into places where wasteful consumerism is greatly encouraged, emphasizing the greenwashing campaign that is truly behind the “environmentally-friendly” claims being made about this year's facilities.
The Qatari government has made some improvements to their labor practices in recent years, all while denying claims that there were problems with it to begin with. Qatar introduced new labor laws in 2020 to guarantee minimum wage, as well as in 2019 to cap the number of hours people can work outside in the summer heat. Yet, many labor rights and human rights organizations, while acknowledging the progress of these laws being passed, are still documenting unpaid wages and poorly enforced labor rules.
While some fans, teams, and even sponsors have considered boycotting, most have decided not to given the recent changes in Qatar’s labor laws.
FIFA has stayed silent on the issue. In July 2020, several human rights organizations approached 14 FIFA sponsors and asked them to pressure FIFA to improve the working conditions of laborers. Four responded but evidently these actions have not catalyzed significant change, and their marketing for the World Cup has remained as positive as ever. “Last month Amnesty International released the findings of a YouGov survey which found nearly three-quarters of respondents believe FIFA should allocate some of the World Cup revenue to pay the migrant workers. Support was higher among World Cup viewers (84%). The poll was conducted among 17,000 respondents across 15 nations.”
Hopefully, for future World Cups, FIFA does more to assess the safety and just compensation of workers before allowing countries to bid for hosting rights. That would require a less profit driven board of members, however, and countries would also need to do their part to ensure basic human rights while FIFA gets their act together. The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It is known for bringing people together across nations to celebrate their shared love for soccer. However, with FIFA’s actions this tournament cycle, one questions if the World Cup tradition has become more about profit and power than anything else.