“The Color of Mourning:” How Protests Will Be Required At This Year’s World Cup

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… And it’s time for the greatest sporting competition on Earth: the FIFA World Cup. Yes, the quadrennial tournament, typically played in the summer, will begin on Nov. 20 and end a week before Christmas. That fact, to soccer fans and non-soccer fans alike, should raise some eyebrows.

So why is the World Cup taking place half a year later than normal? Because of where it’s being played.

Qatar was named host nation in 2010, making them the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament and the second nation to be awarded hosting rights without ever qualifying for the tournament. The average high temperature in Qatar during June and July is about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average low is 85, making it nearly impossible to play the tournament on its regular schedule.

By 2013, when allegations of bribery in the bidding process had come to light, over one thousand migrant workers had died in the country due to unsafe working conditions. There is no exact number as to how many of those deaths were from the World Cup specifically; however, many would argue that all construction and projects in the country during this time were towards the World Cup. Amnesty International alleged in 2021 that at least 6,500 migrant workers had died since the country was awarded the prestigious tournament. As reported in The Athletic, workers were paid the equivalent of $11.19 per day, while FIFA will earn an estimated $4.4 billion off the competition.

Since the announcement 12 years ago, copious amounts of evidence show how Qatar illegitimately paid; sorry, paved a long golden road to the winning bid. Two FIFA executives were allegedly paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 tournament, as noted in The Athletic. According to The Guardian, Qatar spent a total of nearly $200 million on their World Cup bid.

In addition to the two major controversies already discussed, there are questions about Qatar’s ability to facilitate unruly drunk foreigners as a dry country; the gulf nation’s intolerance for LGBTQ+ people and how displays of support for gay rights will be tolerated; and most recently, calls to ban Iran from the World Cup because of the Iranian Football Federations association with the Iranian Regime’s violation of women’s rights.

Despite all this, at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. New York time) on Sunday, Nov. 20, the Qatari National Team will play their first-ever match at a World Cup Finals.

This World Cup, more than any other in history, puts players and teams in unique and undeniably uncomfortable positions.

No, that is not to say I wish they would “stick to sports” because sports have always been and will always be political. However, just because this World Cup is happening, players and coaches will have to answer questions based on a decision they had no part in. 

And frankly, while the players and respective teams care about these international issues, they have been training their whole lives to play in this competition and spent the last four years preparing for the three games they are guaranteed to play. That is to say; they want to focus on the task at hand.

The Netherlands, Germany and Norway are among the teams who have worn shirts with a pro-human rights message in protest of the host nation. Paris will not broadcast matches on large TVs at fan zones in protest of migrant worker conditions, per the Associated Press. England Captain Harry Kane has pledged to wear a “OneLove'' captain's armband, detailed with a rainbow flag, even if FIFA imposed punishments on the English Football Association, according to The Telegraph.

The protest that may be the most visible is the one that wishes to be invisible. The Danish National Team will sport jerseys that protest the violation of migrant workers’ rights and subsequent deaths. Denmark will be seen in either all-red, all-white or all-black (blending in the team logo) with no words or symbols, allowing them to comply with FIFA’s ban on political statements on team uniforms while also making their stance on the problematic tournament. “While we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn’t be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,” said the Danish kit manufacturer Hummel.

Protesting at this World Cup is more essential than ever because not doing so shows acceptance and compliance with the precedent set over the last 12 years since Qatar was awarded hosting duties. There will be no better place to protest than on the pitch.

David Neal, executive producer of World Cup coverage for FOX, which has exclusive coverage of the tournament in the United States, already said that the network would refrain from highlighting off-field stories. “Our stance is that if it affects what happens on the field of play, we will cover it and cover it fully,” said Neal, as quoted in the Associated Press. “But if it does not, there are plenty of other entities and outlets that are going to cover that.” FOX received criticism for not covering critiques of the Russian government when they hosted the 2018 tournament.

The players will be called upon to lead the line in protest while playing the most important game of their lives.