CONMEBOL calls for unity ahead of World Cup

As the controversy over the upcoming World Cup in Qatar continues, one of the leading soccer bodies in the world has called for unity among soccer nations.

Although millions of fans are looking forward to the tournament and sports betting sites such as betfromafrica.com have been doing plenty of business as bettors attempt to predict the winner of the competition, there have been vocal and persistent criticisms surrounding the tournament.

The complaints are not recent in origin. In fact, the tournament has been controversial ever since it was announced that Qatar would be hosting it. There is a long list of reasons why critics are opposed to the tournament, with the state’s treatment of its citizens, the many deaths of migrant workers who built the facilities staging the games of the World Cup, and Qatar’s terrible record on LGBT rights.

Amnesty International is just one of the organizations that has called on players and soccer associations to make a stand against the tournament, but there has also been considerable pushback from various soccer authorities, including the world governing body FIFA, which has advised all soccer nations to concentrate on soccer rather than what it describes as politics.

Managers have also spoken out against demands that players should be under pressure to make personal statements or protests during or in the build-up to the tournament. One of the most prominent was Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who said it was not fair to expect players to bear the burden for protest, although Klopp himself has also criticized the tournament.

CONMEBOL has issued a lengthy statement saying that the tournament, which gets underway on November 20^th, should be supported by all soccer nations. In its statement, CONMEBOL, on behalf of its 10 member associations, asks nations to show unity ahead of the tournament, highlighting the hospitality offered by Qatar, the excellent sports venues and the fact that all 32 teams want to demonstrate their soccer ability. The statement also emphasized that it was a time for the message of soccer to be delivered to the wider world and that optimism, diversity and tolerance were at the heart of soccer.

Although CONMEBOL’s statement will be welcomed by FIFA and by the Qatar tournament authorities, the controversy has not gone away. Many players have revealed that they will in fact be making a protest. In the England squad, 10 players, including captain Harry Kane, will be wearing armbands to support the LGBT community. Denmark’s shirts, produced by Hummel, will be plain and muted in color and design as a message about the human cost of the tournament. Australian players have also released a film calling on Qatar to repeal anti-LGBT laws.

Adding to the controversy, there has been some response from figures associated with the Qatar tournament. Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has accused what he describes as a small number of unrepresentative people of hypocrisy.

Qatar won the right to host the tournament back in 2010, becoming the first Arab nation to stage the World Cup, but from the start, there has been criticism of many aspects of the bid. Initially, it was claimed that the Qatari bid was secured through bribes to FIFA officials, although a subsequent investigation cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing in the way that they campaigned.

Initial complaints were based on the fact that Qatar is not a soccer nation, and that playing a football tournament in Qatar at the height of summer would be dangerous for players and spectators alike. The latter criticism eventually led to the adjustment of the tournament, which was originally slated for the summer of 2022, to November and December.

However, criticism soon turned to the issue of the deaths and ill-treatment of migrant workers in Qatar. A report by a UK newspaper in 2021 suggested that as many as 6,500 workers had died in constructing the stadiums, roads and facilities necessary for the competition. The International Labour Organization puts the true figure of deaths and injuries at over 38,000, although the Qatar authorities maintain that less than 40 workers had died at World Cup construction sites.

The treatment of LGBT people has also been high on the list of criticisms. Gay men in Qatar can face three years in prison or even the death penalty, although there is no record of this penalty being enforced, and the nation’s record in this area is worse even than that of Russia, which hosted the 2018 tournament. While soccer authorities such as CONMEBOL may hope for unity, it is likely that protests will continue throughout the competition, from players, fans, activists and others.