Why Qatar World Cup Boycott Calls Are Emerging now?

What Could Qatar World Cup Boycott Calls Lead to?

Over a decade back, a decision was taken on similar lines, when Qatar was granted the opportunity to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. An absolute monarchy and first-ever in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula will soon welcome a number of professional footballers and their millions of fans. However, before the history could be made, there are protests against the country. In fact, speculations are being made, if the protests could lead to a Qatar World Cup boycott.

A report by The Guardian gave a detailed account on the number of migrant worker deaths in Qatar for a decade, stating that they were related to the FIFA preparations. However, the media house failed to check the official data. The report stated that since Qatar won the hosting rights for 2022 FIFA in December 2010, over 6,500 migrant workers from countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh have died. However, the Doha authorities confirmed that it was not based on complete facts and medical records.

The article became a major instigator of the Qatar World Cup boycott calls. The country's deputy director of the Government Communications Office, Sheikh Thamer bin Hamad al-Thani said that the figures mentioned by the British daily were misleading. They included deaths of all the Qatari residents from the mentioned nations, over the past decade. Moreover, not all of these migrants were working on construction sites, but were also students, the elderly and workers from different sectors like hospitals, offices, schools and retail businesses.

Soon after the report was published, on-field protests were staged by footballers during the 2022 FIFA qualifiers, highlighting Qatar's treatment of migrant workers. Besides, there were also calls for the Qatar World Cup boycott. Players wore t-shirts with quotes to show their support towards human rights. Norway players displayed "HUMAN RIGHTS On and off the pitch", Netherlands teams had "Football supports change" on theirs, and the German team stood in a line to together represent the words "HUMAN RIGHTS" on their black t-shirts.

The question is, why such calls are being made now, when the tournament is fast approaching and when Qatar has already made significant growth in terms of improving its human rights records?

In the past decade, the Gulf nation aligned with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and implemented some of the most remarkable reforms for the migrant workers; allowed the LGBTQ displays and rainbow flags in stadiums; and also eased the restrictions on alcohol consumption during the matches and on its purchase. While the country has been on a progressive path, the Qatar World Cup boycott calls have come up as a threat to drag it back to from where it started.
Being an absolute monarchy, the responsibility to host the 2022 FIFA has proved to be a gyrating experience for Qatar, which is increasingly adapting the lifestyle that goes well around the rest of the world. Besides, it has been the first Middle Eastern country to make some of the notable reforms like the abolition of the Kafala system and introduction of the monthly minimum wage for workers.

Belgium manager Roberto Martínez said that boycotting the tournament will be a "big mistake", as it is an "easy escape". France also affirmed its presence at the 2022 FIFA and said that it "will not question the organization a year in advance".

At the moment, it is important for all the other teams too to support the country and participate in the event, as it might initiate a change that the world wants to see. Qatar World Cup boycott calls would only push back the Arab nation from making significant progress.