The FIFA World Cup starts today in Qatar with the opening ceremonies and the Qatar-Ecuador game. Usually a coach and former football player Linda Ruutu is in the festive spirit weeks before the value competitions. This year, the atmosphere is completely different.
– I don’t really have any kind of competitive spirit. Migrant workers have died and their rights have been violated. I believe that the following will be quite small, says Ruutu.
The subject will be discussed in the opening broadcast of the World Cup on Sunday at 17:15 and on Monday after the England-Iran match from around 17:00 on TV2 and Areena.
The discussions are part of the five-year Well Said project piloted by and Erätauko Foundation.
The treatment of the migrant workers who built Qatar’s competition framework has shocked and angered the entire football world. At the beginning of November, Fifa was pained and sent a letter to the football federations of the countries playing in the World Cup tournament, in which it urged the teams to focus on playing in Qatar instead of politics.
Stadiums, hotels and roads started to be built right after the Games were awarded in 2010. The Guardian newspaper (switch to another service) already revealed at the beginning of last year that in ten years at least 6,500 migrant workers have died of heart attacks and kidney failure, probably caused by heat, dehydration and poor nutrition. Qatari authorities have registered them as natural deaths.
Fifa has monitored only 10 percent of stadium construction sites in Qatar and recorded only three construction workers’ accidental deaths.
– It’s naive to think that politics doesn’t belong in sports. With the help of sports, there have been countless attempts to boost the position of authoritarian leaders and it has been promised that the position of people can be improved with the help of the Games. It has never worked, says Ruutu.
In Qatar, workers are almost in the position of slaves: for example, they are not allowed to change jobs or return to their home country without the employer’s permission. This system, called kafala, was officially abolished in 2018, but it didn’t really change the daily life of workers, just like the minimum wage law passed last year.
“The boycott does not help the workers”
Researcher of political history and football fan Vesa Varensen in my opinion, parties like Fifa should admit that human rights are not really promoted with the help of the games.
– That argument has been used so many times, but nothing has been achieved in, for example, China or Russia. Awarding the Games to authoritarian states does not make them soften their position, but rather see it as a prize and an opportunity to spread their own propaganda, says Vares.
The Solidarity Center of Finnish Trade Unions (SASK) is pushing for labor law changes in Qatar. Head of SASK’s domestic operations Ellinora Vesala met migrant workers in Nepal in March.
– Those who go to the Persian Gulf do not always believe the detailed accounts of the bad conditions of those who return, but believe that it will not happen to them, says Vesala.
Ellinoora Vesala thinks that the games in Qatar have opened up the opportunity for organizations to negotiate on human rights issues as well. Previously, there was no avenue for discussion.
– Changes that promote human rights and the status of workers should take place even before the games are awarded to a country, says Vesala.
According to him, the risk is that when the games are over, the previously made changes to the law can be revoked. Although a boycott of the Games has been widely demanded (you switch to another service)in Vesala’s opinion, it is not currently the most effective way to influence the conditions of employees, but the boycott should have been done earlier.
– The employees are proud of the work they do and want to see the Games take place. If fans boycott the games now, they could be sent home in the middle of everything, and the whole family will lose the livelihood they desperately need, says Vesala.
In his opinion, the position of migrant workers can be best influenced if the decision-makers and, for example, organizations such as the ILO maintain a dialogue with Fifa and the Qatari authorities.
Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania announced in 2017 that they would boycott the Games. The countries tried to get others to join their sentiments and thus put pressure on Fifa to move the games elsewhere. In Finland, Riku Risk’s boycott of Qatar, which targeted the ground forces camp, has also received a lot of attention. In Linda Ruudu’s opinion, it is not fair to require individual athletes to boycott the games, the decisions related to the organization of which they have not had the opportunity to influence.
Some fans are struggling with the decision of whether to watch the games or show their displeasure with Qatar’s human rights violations by boycotting the game broadcasts. However, in Ellinoora Vesala’s opinion, the responsibility for the human rights debate or boycotting cannot be put on the players’ or fans’ account.
– Of course, people should be able to enjoy the sport they love. The athletes, on the other hand, are doing their job at the games. Still, as many people as possible should talk about the problems so that awareness of them spreads, says Vesala.
Can a Finn make a difference?
Many people wonder if a small country like Finland has any real opportunities to make an impact. In Vesala’s opinion, the Finns cannot justify their silence with the country’s small size.
– Finland has a role just like other nation states. Finnish operators are respected, and we are listened to. In other countries, together with other partners, we have achieved minimum wage laws and social security reforms, says Vesala.
In Vesala’s opinion, for example, Finland’s export promotion trips to Qatar and Saudi Arabia are opportunities to talk about human rights as well.
Vesa Vares also believes that Finland can be listened to at least together with the other Nordic countries.
– If we spoke with the same voice, it would have an effect, although not as much as, for example, in countries like Germany, France and England, says Vares.
In Linda Ruudu’s opinion, the media in particular should create pressure on decision-makers in order to promote human rights issues.
– At least in Finland, the media is also interested if, for example, an athlete takes a stand on human rights issues, says Ruutu.
The World Cup is one of the socially significant events defined by the Government that must be televised for all Finns. Director of ‘s Sports and events unit Panu Pokkinen thinks the games are an opportunity to offer experiences that unite Finns and at the same time highlight Qatar’s human rights problems.
– It was a mistake to award the games to Qatar, but like many human rights organizations, we think it’s positive that the eyes of the world are now focused on Qatar and we can talk about the country’s problems and thus achieve development, says Pokkinen.
Instead of sports reporters, has sent two foreign journalists to Qatar who report on social issues.
Story edited on 20.11. at 11:40 a.m.: The World Cup is one of the socially significant events defined by the Government that must be televised for all Finns. However, the State Council has not defined that it is ‘s obligation to show the competitions.