Corruption at heart of World Cup spectacle

TWO days to the kick-off of the World Cup and much of the talk has been about the host nation’s human rights record.

What should have been a time to celebrate the Beautiful Game at the world’s largest sporting event, the build-up to Qatar 2022, has been beset by controversies such as the deaths of migrant workers during the construction of the new stadiums.

Some reports say as many as 6500 workers have lost their lives toiling in the desert sun over the past 12 years. Despite the Gulf state’s pledge to reform its labour laws, observers say hundreds of thousands of workers from poor Asian countries were forced to work in inhuman, slave-like conditions.

LGBTQ groups have criticised the country’s laws criminalising same-sex relationships, and fear being harassed by the Qatari security forces.

There are concerns about control over freedom of expression by the “autocratic surveillance state”. Then there is general criticism of local Islamic customs, such as the dress code for women and restrictions on alcohol consumption. All the above issues have prompted widespread calls by human rights groups and high-profile figures to boycott the tournament.

The Qatari government has lashed out at the Western media, calling their coverage “slander”. And Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrote to all 32 competing nations this month urging them to “not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle”.

As South Africans, we know all too well that sport does not exist in isolation, and you can never separate politics from sport. It is important, however, that the international football fraternity and the fans direct their dissatisfaction to the right quarters.

Qatar is Qatar – with its own human rights and labour practices, laws, traditions and customs – which may not gel with Western norms. For any fan visiting Qatar to expect the host nation to change its entire social system to match theirs is absurd. Yes, there are plenty of areas where the country has been found wanting, and the protests are justified.

But ultimately, the corrupt football mafia that is Fifa must be held accountable for accepting obscene sums to award hosting rights to a bidding nation which clearly did not meet international human rights standards.

It’s a corrupt, political mess. Always has been. But let that not spoil what should be the best football show on the planet.