In Europe, fan associations and national federations, led by Norway, have raised concerns about the safety of LGTBQ people in a country where homosexuality is criminalized.
In a study for the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics in 2016Paul Michael Brannagan and Joel Rockwood identified several problematic points for the fans: the accusations of corruption in the tournament to the concession of the venue of the event, the weather (before the World Cup was moved to a time of the year with lower temperatures) and also the rights of women, homosexuals and migrant workers.
Six years later, the country seems not to have fully responded to the progress requested, despite the efforts and progress made.
“The World Cup has accelerated things”
The emirate, whose infrastructure spending for the World Cup is estimated at 300 billion dollarseased since 2016 the “kafala”, the sponsorship system that made employees almost the property of their employer, and introduced a minimum wage in 2020.
“These reforms were inevitable and the World Cup has accelerated things,” says Max Tunon, head of the International Labor Organization (ILO) office in Doha. “Other countries in this area of the world are also undertaking reforms, but few in the world are carrying them out at the same pace as here,” he points out.
Tunon believes that these efforts will continue after the World Cup thanks to agreements reached between the Qatari government and the ILO, international unions and third countries.
The communication director of the World Cup Organizing Committee, Fatma Al Nuaimi, told AFP that “the well-being of the workers will continue to be a primary concern from here to the start (of the tournament) and beyond.”
“Our efforts to develop (…) and implement our standards in terms of worker welfare in all our projects constitute one of the main legacies of the World Cup for Qatar,” added Al Nuaimi in his written response.
The rights of women and the LGBTQ community are more sensitive in this conservative Muslim society.
There are three women who are ministers (of Health, Family and Education) and two thirds of university diplomas are for women, but “the biggest changes occurred twenty years ago and not in the last ten years”, laments Rothna Begum, from the NGO Human Rights Watch.
Among other issues, it denounces the protection of women, who need the approval of a male representative to marry, study abroad or practice certain professions.
“Adaptive Change”
The recent changes, such as the possibility of passing the test to drive without authorization (from January 2020) “are largely due to women who have asserted their own rights”, especially on social networks, adds Begum.
Regularly asked about the risks that homosexual fans will have, the Organizing Committee of the World Cup promises an event “open to all”.
The between 1.2 and 1.4 million visitors expected for the event will be allowed to wear, if they wish, rainbow flags (symbol of the LGTBQ + community), as authorized by FIFA. Meanwhile, the organizers ask for respect for the local culture and prudence.
Can gestures and symbols be used during the World Cup to change mentalities?
“It can go both ways, in greater acceptance or in very harsh reactions, depending on how it develops,” estimates Merissa Khurma, director of the Middle East program at the American think tank Wilson Center.
“A big event is not going to trigger a sea of changes but the fact that the discussion takes place is important“, he points.
With LGTBQ issues it is a little more sensitive because there are socio-cultural and religious components
Merissa Khurma rather anticipates “an adaptive change” in this country of 2.8 million inhabitants, of which barely 10% are Qataris.
“With LGBTQ issues it’s a little more sensitive because there are socio-cultural and religious components,” says Khurma. But considering the large number of expatriates and the education of young Qataris in foreign universities, “it is a matter of time before attitudes change.”