The response was quick. A few hours after the presentation of the jerseys of the Denmark team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the organizers criticized, Wednesday, September 28, the equipment supplier Hummel of “to devalue” progress made by the country. The brand has decided to tone down its logo from its official jerseys for the tournament and to offer a black tunic, “color of mourning”, for his 3rd game of jerseys.
These equipments are “a protest against Qatar and its human rights record”Hummel had explained in an Instagram post, adding “not wishing to be visible during a tournament which cost the lives of thousands of people”. A reference to the human toll on Qatari shipyards strongly contested by Doha.
The Supreme Organizing Committee of the World Cup reacted in a statement in “challenging Hummel’s claim that this tournament cost the lives of thousands of people”.
In August 2021, the NGO Amnesty International estimated that “Qatari authorities have failed to investigate the deaths of thousands of migrant workers over the past decade, despite evidence linking premature deaths to unsafe working conditions”. Six months earlier, the very serious British newspaper The Guardian, during an investigation, mentioned the figure of 6,500 workers who had died on the construction sites.
Qatar says three workers died in accidents during construction of the eight World Cup stadiums, which begins on November 20. The country has, however, been accused of downplaying deaths in the construction sector.
The organizers point out “significant labor market reforms” these last years, “recognized” by actors such as the International Labor Organization (ILO). They “unreservedly reject the trivialization of (his) sincere commitment to protecting the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built the World Cup stadiums and other tournament-related projects.”
The Supreme Organizing Committee adds that it had a “solid and transparent dialogue” with the Danish federation (DBU) on the subject and asks them to “communicate the result accurately”especially with Hummel.
Since the awarding of the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup to Qatar, the small Gulf emirate has come under heavy criticism on the rights of migrant workers, the LGBT community and even the environmental impact of the tournament.
As the World Cup approaches, sponsors and brands have adopted more or less radical positions depending on the country. In Denmark, national team training shirts will display “critical messages”two sponsors having accepted that they replace their logo.