England may be through to thhe knockout stage of the Word Cup, which is something to celebrate. But I wanted to reflect controversy surrounding the event, both in the run up and so far during the tournament.
In the years leading up to 2022, FIFA received many complaints over the event being held in Qatar. The Arabian country was awarded the rights to host the World Cup over a decade ago in December 2010 and there have been questions over the decision ever since.
At the start of the World Cup, teams were told not to wear 'One Love' armbands during their matches. Officials went as far as to threaten sanctions of players on teams that took a stance against Qatar’s law against homosexuality. And despite agreeing to comply with FIFA’s rules when it came to promoting tolerance, rainbow flags and other rainbow items have not been allowed into the stadiums.
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As a person of a younger generation, this is hard to watch. Many friends and even close family members of mine are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Just seeing this is a bitter pill to swallow, everyone has a right to be who they want to be - who they truly are.
Another point of controversy surrounding the event is the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who suffered terrible working conditions. It has been reported that many migrant workers lost their lives during the construction of the stadiums.
Looking at both these factors, I don't get why FIFA allowed the World Cup to be held there. In a world where freedom of expression and basic human rights are a given, holding the tournament in a country that denies both of these seems backwards, and against what is morally correct.
In my opinion, FIFA’s decision to award the World Cup to Qatar was all about money and nothing to do with providing a happy, safe environment for all of the football community.
Since the competition has begun, there have been more problems, including the removal of the presence of alcohol in stadiums which led to Budweiser, a key sponsor, to withdraw from the World Cup.
Other sponsors have made their position on the tournament being held in Qatar known. England sponsor Lucozade has made the decision to not have any association with the World Cup and has removed its brand presence.
I think England got off to a great start in the group stages and topped their group. Maybe football could be coming home after all.
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