30 Shocking Reasons Why You Should Boycott This World Cup

1. There have been at LEAST 6,500 deaths

Image source/ Arabian businessNow the first and tragically shocking reason you should boycott this world cup is that there were around 6,500 unavoidable deaths as a result of it. The death rate for building the stadium was published by the Guardian - there were 65,00 deaths of migrant workers.

2. FIFA tried to brush over it

Image source/BBCThese workers were treated so badly, in such horrific circumstances, that they were literally pushed to death for the creation of the world cup stadium. They were inhumane conditions, and many people could literally not survive the horrific environment and died as a result, worked to death.

3. Modern day slavery

Image source/BBCWhat happened in Qatar, the building of the stadium, was modern day slavery. The majority of the workforce came from South-East Asia and Africa, and they worked long hours in return for a pittance wage. Workers were paid as little as $1 hour - in HORRENDOUS conditions.

4. Sometimes workers were not paid at all

Image source/scroll.inIn fact, not only were workers disgracefully paid just $1 an hour for gruelling work. Sometimes workers were not even paid at all for their work. Or they were paid extremely late, months and months after they had been promised. Most of these workers were desperate for money.

5. They were abused

Image source/ marketresearchatlastWhile they were working the conditions and the treatments that the migrant workers suffered from was abuse. Often when they arrive, their passports are confiscated. They are housed in overcrowded unsanitary living conditions with no choice. They work in even worse conditions and are often paid less than it cost them to get the job leaving them indebted due to false promises.

6. Homosexuality is ILLEGAL

Image source/ wrongsideofthepondAnother major reason to boycott the world cup is that homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, meaning that it is a punishable offence. The Qatar ambassador called homosexuality 'damage in the mind' suggesting that people who are homosexual or LGTBQ have something wrong with them.

7. Officials have justified it

Image source/ The Salt Lake TribuneHowever, officials who still want to world cup to be a success and create huge profit are trying to smooth over such comments by admitting they are terrible but suggesting that things may soon start to improve in Qatar - totally overlooking dangerous homophobic thinking.

8. Violence towards homosexual people

Image source/ therightsWhen homosexuality is discovered in Qatar, the person could be subjected to multiple severe beatings. There have been so many reports of members of the LGBTQ+ community being detained, beaten, blindfolded, having their hair shaved and being sexually harassed. This is still happening NOW.

9. Dangerous working conditions

Image source/ Inside The GamesThe conditions as we know were so appalling that it led to the deaths of thousands of people. They were working in heats of up to 40°C for long hours with no aid or breaks. And they were surrounded by guarded fences and under constant surveillance so that nobody could get out.

10. Investigating the labour camps

Image source/ newsbirhatiThere have been recent investigations into what went on during the building of the stadium and the preparation for the world cup. The investigations referred to them as labour camps set up in the middle of desserts where people were frequently dying.

11. The lies of the authorities

Image source/Daily MailThe authorities lie about the facts and the reporting's (even claiming there were no deaths) because they don't want to ruin what will be a major money-making business. Investigators and journalists speak openly about the appalling conditions and the prisons and camps whereas the authorities mask the tragedies as 'progressive workers' rights'.

12. The 'carbon neutral' myth

Image source/ Construction Week OnlineYou may have heard that this year the stadium will be carbon neutral. However, the air-conditioned stadium with thousands of flights going to Qatar including private jets is not something that climate experts wants us to regard as carbon neutral. The tonnes of emissions produced in the process will most certainly not be 'carbon neutral'.

13. The life is like a prison

Image source/ hiraanAnother thing to bear in mind when you are wondering whether to boycott the world cup is the workers camps and the workers themselves felt as though they were trapped in prison in the middle of the dessert with no escape. Now, let's compare this to the football players treated like royalty...

14. Forced to do it

Image source/ multinationalesThe workers have no choice about the kind of work they are forced to do because they NEED the money to survive. Despite not sometimes being paid, and despite the money only being $1, people are desperate to keep their families fed and cannot refuse work even if it may kill them.

15. The celebration built on slavery

Image source/ VICEThe contrasting image of these workers building the stadium, to the millionaires playing sport in it is an uncomfortable one to think about. All over the globe people will be tuning in or celebrating or even flying to Qatar, to a stadium that was built from suffering and slavery.

16. Politicians are lying

Image source/ YahooKarl Olive LREM MP tried to justify the deaths of the stadium by telling people that 300 people had died building the Eiffel tower, as though to claim that this made it okay. Agnès Pannier-Runacher also lied and claimed that boycotting the world cup would have no effect on carbon emissions which is of course, absolutely false.

17. Terrible excuses

Image source/ Al Jazeera EnglishThere have been a lot of terrible excuses coming from figures who want the World Cup to be a success. Noël Le Graët, for example, claimed that the damage was already done and that it's too late to do anything now so boycotting the world cup would not even make a difference. Which, of course, is not true.

18. There was no need for this to happen

Image source/ Middle East EyeQatar did not have to be chosen to host the world cup. There are articles and investigations, for example, the France Football investigations in 2013 which had already looked into the behaviour and terrible happenings in Qatar. So, when it was picked FIFA were well aware of this.

19. Racist attitudes

Image source/ IB Times UKspeakers have called out the thinking behind the decision to allow QATAR to host the World Cup as racist. People have pointed out the fact that if these deaths happened in a western country there would be outrage. But, because it is happening in a country, to migrant workers, people are willing to turn a blind eye - which, displays the racist attitudes ingrained within society.

20. Criminal corruption

Image source/ expatwomanCriminal corruption has reportedly been a huge factor in what has happened in Qatar. And not only recently but it is claimed that criminal corruption is a huge factor. For example, there was $2 million paid to a FIFA official's 10-year-old daughter...

21. Safety guarantee for football fans

Image source/ IB TimesFaeser essentially ensuring that even people who may be homosexual or of the LGBTQ community they will not be harmed. Although this is important, it completely disregards the fact that Qatar supports violence, inequality and injustice against the LGBTQ community, even if they are willing to leave football supporters unharmed. This does not guarantee the safety of others.

22. Long history of human rights abuse

Image source/ The GuardianThe question for many people is, why are we supporting or allowing support for a country which violates SO many human rights? And has knowingly abused human rights throughout its history and in modern day continues to exploit people and disregard basic human rights.

23. Corruption in the World Cup

Image source/ Daily RecordCorruption has been found to be a common occurrence in this World Cup. FIFA's English Football Association suggested it had tried to favour Qatar for the World cup. There have also been claims that the 2022 FIFA World Cup was bought through bribery and favour.

24. Scrutiny for its support of extremism

Image source/ arabobserverQatar has faced criticism from people due its support of extremism and extremist groups. Although the government have condemned extremist groups, they continue to defend and support them. There have been reports that Qatar have channelled funds to terror groups.

25. Qatar have claimed that criticism is racist

Image source/HiraanOne of the ways that the authorities and government in Qatar have fought back in response to the criticism is to claim that the critics were racist. They claim that people have a racist stereotype of Qatar and its people and have continued this way of thinking.

26. Fuelled by greed

Image source/The PeninsulaFIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar which many people claim was fuelled solely by greed. Because Qatar was an option which was set to create the most profits, this is allegedly the reason that Qatar was chosen and why people chose to turn a blind eye to the reasons they should not choose Qatar.

27. Complete denial

Image source/ Daily ExpressQatar authorities have outrageously lied and completely denied that there have been any deaths involved with the creation of the World Cup stadium. In fact, they released a statement saying, “no workers have died on Qatar World Cup projects”. Of course, everybody now known that this statement is completely false

28. A stain on the conscience of World Football

Image source/ essentiallysport People have stood up against what has happened. One person quoted: “The abuse of migrant workers is a stain on the conscience of world football. For players and fans, a World Cup stadium is a place of dreams. For some of the workers who spoke to us, it can feel like a living nightmare.

29. Interviews all showed human rights abuse

Image source/ Daily ExpressThe charity Amnesty International interviewed 132 of the construction workers and 102 landscapers who were working on the site and ALL of the reports and interviews documented human rights abuse. In every single case, for each worker who was interviewed.

30. Forced to demonstrate

Image source/ Image redressThere were people in Qatar during the building and preparation of the World Cup and the stadium who were forced to strike - the right to strike does not even exist in Qatar. People began demonstrating three months before the beginning of the world cup due to the terrible conditions and repression in Qatar.