FIFA President Gianni Infantino failed to dispel doubts about whether to hold the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a country known for its poor human rights record, by particularly those of women, sexual minorities and migrants. The latter are reduced to a situation of quasi-slavery for the construction of open-air, air-conditioned stadiums in the middle of the desert.
On the eve of the opening of the World Cup, Infantino embarked on a painful hour-long run in which he tried, somehow, to defend the host country. Influential but so pathetic figure, Gianni Infantino criticized Western countries for their record in respect of human rights. “Giving moral lessons, always in the same direction, is simply hypocrisy,” he said, in a flawed comparison exercise.
We should not try to understand the deep meaning of the intention of this man, born in Switzerland of Italian parents, who also said he felt Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled and even an immigrant worker. And why not !
It is the arrogance of power and money that expressed itself freely, without filter. Soccer, the only real professional sport practiced and recognized worldwide, is a gigantic money machine that makes fun of the principles of social responsibility. It was not enough that the process of awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was tainted by corruption scandals. In addition, the construction of infrastructure had to be marked by inhuman working conditions for captive migrants. Qatar has made modest progress on the issue, including raising the minimum wage and abolishing the sponsorship system that prevented workers from leaving the country. In the eyes of the non-governmental organizations which investigated the situation, this is insufficient. These fragile advances certainly did not justify Infantino’s arbitrary condemnation of 3,000 years of Western civilization.
Some participating countries intend to raise human rights issues during the tournament, including wearing inclusive armbands on their uniforms. The English and German federations say they are ready to pay fines to defy FIFA’s neutrality rules. The United States has changed the logo on its uniforms to incorporate the colors of the rainbow, in support of the LGBTQ+ community. So far, Soccer Canada has not lifted a finger on these fundamental human rights issues. His lack of indignation earned him severe criticism from the secretary general of Amnesty International in Canada, Ketty Nivyabandi.
Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe suggests that the Trudeau government not send a symbolic delegation to Doha. The office of the Minister of Sports, Pascale St-Onge, did not dare to position itself on this interesting suggestion. This is all the more surprising since Minister St-Onge has shown, since the beginning of her mandate, courage and determination to place ethics and governance at the heart of amateur and professional sport.
Canada and its national team cannot stay on the sidelines. They must find a creative way to affirm their support for human rights in Qatar. Otherwise, they will send a message of inconsistency and weakness that autocratic regimes will pick up on. This is an opportunity to recall that democratic societies are serious when the time comes to defend their principles and values.