"Goooaaaalll," people scream while jumping out of their seats. They run around, high-fiving friends and showing great excitement. Regardless of whether or not you are an avid sports fan, this is a scene you may have witnessed if you happened to enter the Campus Center at a time when the World Cup was being streamed.
The World Cup, a worldwide soccer tournament pitting nation against nation, is one of the biggest sporting events on the globe. Every four years, billions of people tune in to watch their favorite teams compete. There are World Cup tournaments for both men and women, with the women’s tournament being held the year after the men’s. However, this year the World Cup’s reputation as a big event to unite people has been tarnished by the increasing publicity surrounding questionable practices that were used to bring about the event. Two of the biggest factors involve the reasons Qatar was chosen as the host of this year’s games, as well as its track record in human rights. Allegations have been made that Qatar bribed executive members of FIFA to secure their spot as the host of the 2022 World Cup. In addition, Qatar promised to invest an exorbitant amount of money into preparing their country to host the event by building stadiums, hotels, and even a theme park for attendees to enjoy.
Another big problem that has led many people to question whether they should be supporting the World Cup in Qatar is Qatar’s lack of human rights. Qatar participates in the kafala system, which often involves luring migrant workers from other countries by promising them good jobs. When the workers arrive, however, the conditions usually do not live up to what was promised, with many employers taking hold of the employees’ passports and immigration status, essentially trapping them in the employers’ service. On top of this, migrant workers are usually given the most dangerous tasks and live in poor working conditions, ultimately leading to many deaths. After experiencing pushback, the government has taken steps to improve the conditions—such as instituting a federal minimum wage—but has had issues enforcing the new laws. These are just a few occurrences that have led to people questioning Qatar’s suitability to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The above allegations regarding Qatar’s approach to hosting the World Cup have led to controversy about whether countries should boycott by refusing to compete in the event. Likewise, a number of fans have expressed opinions that the general public should further boycott the World Cup by refusing to attend. The public’s response appears to be somewhat mixed, depending on the country. A survey by Statista in England revealed that, as of November 2022, only 19% of those surveyed agreed that fans should boycott the soccer matches. A survey conducted in the US found that 29% of people support the idea of the United States national team boycotting the games. These numbers are much lower than the data found in a survey collected worldwide in April 2021, in which 70% of those surveyed stated they were of the opinion that the 2022 World Cup should be boycotted.
Despite the large percentage of people worldwide who claimed the World Cup should be boycotted, it appears that most soccer fans in the US have chosen to embrace the positive aspects and watch the games regardless. Most fans on campus have at least heard of the controversy, even if they are unaware of many details. However, the majority of them are still watching the games, although some individuals have opted to watch fewer games in response to the human rights issues. Angelina Nesmith (sophomore, exercise science) said, “Because of [the controversy], yes, I am not watching the World Cup as much…I am only watching major games from teams that I am supporting.”
The decision not to watch the games is a hard one to make, because there is a positive side to the World Cup as well. It brings people together and can offer a relaxing break from life when people join friends to watch the game. Soccer is also a sport many people love, and it is exciting to see others play their favorite sport at such a big event. In addition, soccer is a major aspect of many cultures. Thus, the World Cup is ingrained in some people’s cultural identities. Even I, an individual who does not watch professional sporting events, have found myself keeping an eye on the results of certain games. I am half Brazilian, and the World Cup has always been an event that my whole family follows: not only those of us who usually watch sports. For these reasons, it may be difficult for people to refrain from watching the game if everyone in the community is watching the game for fun.
Regardless of whether or not people are boycotting the game, the World Cup remains a huge event with many supporters. Like many international events, it has had its share of scandals but brings many positive interactions as well. Although FIFA may need to make some changes in the future, the organization will hopefully plan many more ethical World Cup events in the future.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.