“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking,” Mahatma Gandhi wrote.
This is precisely what is taking place in Qatar during the FIFA 2022 World Cup, the site of which has become a protest area. Iran, a nation in the Middle East, is protesting in support of its citizens who are demonstrating against autocratic leaders at home. Protests are being held by a number of European countries in support of things like LGBTQ rights and human rights. Because of FIFA’s firm stance, many nations are making concessions to avoid having their athletes hampered by harsh punishments. However, it is still unclear how significant these demonstrations are in the current geopolitical environment – and why FIFA.
In the first place, it’s crucial to realise that politics can play a role in a huge event like FIFA. Such significant international athletic events have a vast, complex, and ominous political economy. India is still aware of the scams that occurred in connection with the Commonwealth Games. Since 2010, western nations have questioned the decision to select Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. There are allegations of graft behind this bidding. Neither the nation's infrastructure nor its history of soccer matches is particularly noteworthy.
The fact that the World Cup is being held this year following Russia's attack on Ukraine is also significant, as Russia was prohibited from participating in FIFA 2022. There has always been a political cloud over the FIFA World Cup, which was under the shadow of geopolitics in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But what is happening now is that people are protesting on a number of political, social, and humanitarian issues on the football field.
People often claim that decisions must be made in extraordinary circumstances. Human rights, dissent and the right to privacy are in danger in the post-Covid world. Furthermore, it is not always the right time to stand up for human rights; but better late than never, right?
There are many grievances against Qatar. The first is the widespread violation of human rights, the stigmatisation of the LGBTQ community, the cruel treatment of migrant workers, the autocratic monarchy, and the lack of dissenting voices. The Guardian reported, “More than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago.”
According to several reports, Qatar violated human rights egregiously after winning the bid to host the World Cup and used migrant workers against their will to construct the venues for the event. Western nations are protesting these violations of human rights. Dua Lipa, a popular singer, abstained from the opening ceremony in defiance. Numerous other well-known athletes and celebrities have opted out of FIFA 2022.
In this context, we should talk about two significant protests. The first is that about seven European team captains expressed their desire to wear armbands bearing the “One Love” movement’s heart-shaped logo. This was done in opposition to Qatar’s anti-LGBT laws. It was among the most audacious and forceful statements in opposition to the state’s abuse of LGBTQ rights. Unfortunately, this happened after FIFA threatened to show yellow cards to players who refused to wear their official wristbands.
Second, prior to their opening game against England, the Iranian football team did not sing the national anthem. And this was done in an effort to express support and solidarity with the anti-government demonstrations that have been occurring in Iran since Mahsa Amini's passing. The morality police detained Amini, 22, on September 13. Her crime was disobeying the state’s antiquated hijab law. Despite deadly crackdowns by the authorities, thousands of women have been protesting against the Iranian government for several months. The solidarity shown by the Iranian players can bring serious action from FIFA which can cause a grave threat to their careers. But they have risked it for their human rights, for the thousands of women, for the right to choice and liberty. This is the beauty of protest. Each of these players has opened a new gate of protests on an international platform.
There are currently concerns that the seven European nations’ retreat from their position of wearing the One Love armband demonstrates the weakness of these protests. The significance of the Iranian protest is also up for debate. There is an easy answer. Everything in the world today revolves around messaging, registering a protest on FIFA property. The strongest message a nation can ever convey to the world is World Cup 2022. Unlike United Nations or world summit conventions, stadiums are accessible to everyone. Football players, not any political regime, stand in for the nation’s average citizens.
Protests against demands like a hijab law or LGBTQ rights are important if politics is for the benefit of the people, and geopolitics is a silent component of major events like FIFA. The entire world must now realise that people will not just protest in their own countries to protect themselves from human rights violations. As a result of the fact that the world is now one, there can be unanimity in protests at any international event. You will come under more criticism from the general public the more you ignore it.
This is also an important message for countries including India where people are normalising human rights violations by staying blind to the government’s stands. Human rights violations, curbing dissent, and punishing minorities (religious, caste, race or gender) must not be tolerated. And protests should take place in every form.
The author is a Columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar In Media & Politics. He tweets @sayantan_gh. Views expressed are personal
