Sunday the 18th of December 2022. The whole world watching. Argentina against France. Gonzalo Montiel against Hugo Lloris. A sweet right footed strike and the ball is buried in the corner. Elation, jubilation and celebration. Lionel Messi falling to his knees, his lifelong dream realised.
The genius of football finally crowned king of the world as he lifted the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup trophy for his nation. Every football fan has seen the photos which will go down in history – but what can you notice about them? In possibly the most famous trophy lift in football history the Argentine is wearing a traditional Qatari “bisht” (a black robe).
Lionel Messi lifting the world cup in a Qatari Bischt.
A tournament which will always be remembered for its greatness with a Qatari symbol ingrained in its fabric. This symbol of Qatar and all the connotations it holds stamped into the limelight. A golden tournament on the surface, filled with blackness beneath.
Should a nation with their beliefs have even been allowed to host the tournament in the first place? Or is this in fact just another example of a country using sport as a means of soft power?
There are many reasons why Qatar being selected back in 2010 to host the 2022 World Cup was a controversial one and as time has proven since winning their bid people were right to be concerned. The situation of the tournament is one where basic human rights are blatantly overlooked and disregarded in favour of showcasing a sporting event. This is not what football is about.
This involves everything from shocking working conditions (to the extent that migrant workers lost their lives while building stadiums) to travelling fans fearing for their own safety just for being who they are. How can we continue to call football ‘the beautiful game’ with all of this going on around it?
Belgian fans holding a banner in support of Migrant workers during a World Cup Qualifier with
Estonia in November 2021.
Qatar is well known to have very controversial views on the LGBTQ+ community and women as well as their poor treatment of workers – without whom they would not have even been able to host the tournament. Many pundits and other people with a platform to speak out on this voiced their opinions on Qatar as hosts. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane made his thoughts known on the live ITV broadcast of Argentina v Saudi Arabia:
“The World Cup shouldn’t be here,” He stated. “The corruption, regarding FIFA, you’ve got a country, the way they treat migrant workers, gay people and I think it’s great that it’s been brought up they shouldn’t have the World Cup here because you can’t treat people like that.”
“We all love football, we love soccer and we’re on about spreading the game but just to dismiss human rights flippantly like that because of a football tournament it’s just not right, it shouldn’t be here.”
What exactly is soft power and its history in sport?
So, what is soft power? Soft power is an approach taken by nations to persuade people through co-opting them with cultural influence. The term was popularised by Joseph Nye in his 1990 book ‘Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power.’ Nye went on to write about this further in his 2005 book ‘Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics.’
Nye states that: “It (soft power) arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals and policies.” He goes on to mention how this is not a sign of weakness, but instead a different form of strength designed to attract the preference of others.
So, what does this have to do with sports? Soft power has been used in sport many times throughout history to try and alter public opinion on the political state of a nation, and Qatar are not an exception.
This ties in nicely with sportswashing, which is the act of using a sporting event to promote your reputation amid controversy or scandal. Something which is clearly heavily linked with Qatari beliefs.
Probably the most famous example of soft power in sports history is the 1934 World cup in Italy, which was riddled with manipulation and corruption. Fascism was on the rise throughout Europe and President Benito Mussolini used the tournament to display the true might of his nation.
Italian 1934 World Cup winning team performing a fascist salute before the final.
FIFA did not have a positive view of his reign and the Italian saw this as an opportunity to switch up the narrative and change views on his government. Here is where the FIFA corruption is said to have begun.
When Italy was selected as a host nation, political intrigue soared with murmurs of illegal payment and intimidation to win the vote. This followed when the coverage began, with it all very in favour of the Italians and more importantly the refereeing standard in favour of Italy was highly noticeable.
Mussolini intended to portray his nation as a powerful fascist regime and it was alleged that bribery was used to portray the event, and therefore Italy, in a more favourable light. This was clearly successful as 1934 is now remembered as the year Italy were crowned World champions and not for all the controversy that surrounded it.
Charles Sutcliffe, the England representative in international football, was against the idea of FIFA in general and was quoted saying that the voting system for tournaments had led to “magnifying the midgets” of the world and was against the idea of the tournament in Rome.
Another way of describing this is the act of ‘winning hearts and minds’ as a nation through soft power. This term was coined by British General Sir Gerald Templar in the 1950’s during the Malayan Emergency.
This term is used when a side seeks to prevail by making an emotional or intellectual appeal to sway those on opposing views to reconsider. This can be a strategy taken when a nation hosts a prestigious tournament to hide the dark truths of their nation. Who does that sound like?
Qatar 2022 countdown clock in Doha.
How have Qatar deployed Soft Power in the 21st century?
Qatar are one of the nations who have learnt from previous examples in history and deployed soft power techniques throughout the 21st century, particularly through the 2022 World Cup. But has elite sport learnt anything?
Winning the vote back in 2010 was just the beginning of their attempts to grow in stature. This was a gamble by FIFA which immediately sparked questions of bribery and corruption as well as speculation on how Qatar would deal with the scrutiny that surely followed.
Franz Beckenbauer was one of 22 men who was able to vote on who would host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and admitted he was surprised that Qatar had landed the event at the Securing Sport 2014 conference.
Franz Beckenbauer holding the 2010 World Cup ball.
“It was a secret Ballot. I was surprised that Qatar was chosen.
“The bid was good, like all the others, but there were no big differences. There must have been some reason why the others didn’t get it.”
The former German World Cup Winner has been known for his controversies and went on to face a ban when failing to cooperate in an investigation into the awarding of the four of the five World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2022.
This just goes to show why this tournament was always going to have a talking point besides the football and how little the sport has come in avoiding controversy in the 21st Century.
Bid chief executive Hassan Al-Thawadi is the man who is credited with convincing the FIFA voters on their project. When questioned on this after winning he was quoted saying:
“We knew it would be a bold gamble and an exciting prospect but with no risk.
“Heat is not and will not be an issue.”
This obviously did not turn out to be the case, but their ability to host the tournament so successfully will likely leave so many remembering the tournament rather than its controversy – much like 1934.
The dynamics of society in the 21st century have evolved immensely from those of the past, with the digital revolution leading to rapid spread of news and propaganda.
Promoting the tournament in this media age has been easier and the ability to curve views comes hand in hand. This was deployed all the way up to the opening ceremony and throughout the tournament.
Fan performance section of Qatar 2022 opening ceremony.
20th November 2022 was when Qatar played Ecuador to kick off the tournament. Spectacular performances all round in the opening ceremony, none less than the fan-themed five-minute performance from up to 1600 members combined of all qualified nations.
A spectacular sign of unity and togetherness as they sing chants specific to their own nation. Some might say winning the hearts and minds of all those watching their country displayed out in Qatar. Inclusivity for all.
Well, that’s what is seen in the arena and broadcast to all 550 million global viewers – this figure reported at 1.5 billion for the final and closing ceremony. The reality? A carefully selected group of people taking part in a staged display to portray a false reality.
The documents from the organisers state that they excluded “persons with obvious political affiliation” and those selected had to be a proven “purist” fan, according to The Independent.
All fans were put up with all expenses paid trips to stay for at least two weeks promoting positive social media content about the tournament and, of course, the host nation itself. A clear method of soft power to sway opinions in all participating nations still being permitted by the sports biggest governing body in the 21st Century.
Were all their attempts successful in combatting any heat brought on their nation?
As alluded to earlier, naturally many spoke out and protested Qatar as host nations. The reverse side of hosting a major sporting event is while you can attempt to control the narrative, a spotlight is shone onto what is going on in the nation.
In this day and age of media, it is easier to raise awareness and spread protest campaigns than in the 20th century.
One main issue that western media particularly debated was the ban of the “OneLove” slogan throughout the tournament. While many claimed this was a commitment to the Qatari religious beliefs and cultural values, it was argued this was a violation of freedom of expression.
"OneLove" armband in Qatar 2022.
This armband was created to “use the power of football to promote inclusion and send a message against discrimination of any kind as the eyes of the world fall on the global game,” at the Qatar World Cup.
Led by the Netherlands Football Association, 10 nations (according to ESPN sources) where in contact over this. Despite support from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to stand in support in this way, FIFA did not approve.
The harsh reality is we live in a world where football fans who are members of the LGBTQ+ community seemingly cannot see their nations heroes show support for them because of another’s controversial beliefs.
FIFA announced anyone wearing an armband would be yellow carded at the start of the game, a major disadvantage for every team. England, as one of the many nations involved, were forced to release a statement hours before kick-off backing down from this protest.
This would spark even more protests and pundits speaking out. In a BBC coverage of the game between England and Iran, Alex Scott stood pitch side pre-match wearing the armband as a direct message to Qatar and FIFA.
Alex Scott told Attitude Magazine that it is something she believes should be done when in a position with a platform to do so.
“If I have a platform to help make a change in any way, I see it as a way that you know I can help and should be doing that.
“Actions always speak louder than words …. but it’s actually what you do in certain moments that have a real impact on the world and on people.”
Scott went on to mention how people come up to her in the street and mention the impact that it had on them showing how powerful that image truly was. While Qatar attempted to cover this up, one action of protest was spread worldwide shining them in an unfavourable light.
What impact has this had on Qatar post the World Cup?
A lot of speculation around this was of how Qatar would react after the tournament and whether these protests would continue. In the same ITV broadcast of Argentina v Saudi Arabia mentioned earlier, Graeme Souness highlighted how it’s up to them to react and change post tournament.
“I think we will have to wait and see if it will backfire on them.
“They must have made the calculations that the risk was worth taking because the eyes of the world are on here and all the human rights activists are now pointing a finger at what’s going on here.”
This was in relation to what the standard migrant workers had to deal with in the build up to the tournament. Ian wright also stated on ITV about feeling conflicted about being at the tournament.
“You’ve seen the cities and how quickly they went up and you know that people have died building those stadiums.
“Then you think of the families, lives destroyed, families destroyed, and then you think of the compensation, the lack of commitment towards the victims.”
So here is the story of Mohamed. A 38-year-old Sri Lankan man struggling to provide for his family in a country of economic turmoil. Working long hours day-to-day to put food on the table.
Then all of a sudden, presented with an opportunity and a promise of a job and a better wage. The potential of a life with less struggle seemingly within his grasp. However, what was to follow no one could imagine.
Mohamed up and left his country and those dearest for him with destination Qatar, but what awaited him was utterly shocking.
He shared his story with Amnesty International last December and told them how he had sold his three-wheeler tuk-tuk – his only means of transport and a living - to pay the 4 lakhs (£1049) it cost to register his application. This was a sacrifice he was willing to make for his family, but one that did not pay off.
The worker was put up in a dirty accommodation with ten people per room, working ten hour shifts daily with no protection – not even any protective headwear.
A month passed and he was told that they would only start paying him from the second month. Exhausted with only a small allowance for food he realised this was not what he had been promised.
After eight months and only pay for two months of work in his pocket, he was refused his ID back and forced to fly home to Sri Lanka in August 2023. Yes, 2023. The year after the World Cup.
This is clear to see that Qatar are still treating migrant workers despicably and reaping unjust rewards off them. But is it still broadcast worldwide daily? No. The power of sportswashing on a grand scale and proof of how easily a country can use major events as a means of soft power.
The World Cup caused Qatar’s economy to expand by 4.8% according to Oxford Economics. This included a 347% increase in tourism over January and February in comparison to the previous 10 years according to government figures.
They are now one of the fastest growing economies worldwide and even more sporting events are being hosted there regularly including boxing and Formula 1 – two rapidly growing sports. While they still remain some way behind Saudi Arabia in football terms, the World Cup gamble has proven that true power may be soft power.
Qatar F1 Grand Prix 2023.
The success of the FIFA World Cup 2022 is a massive factor in the overall view of Qatar as a nation whether taking into account all their controversies or not.
In the digital media age of today people will always remember the 2022 World Cup final and the day Messi finally lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar. It is literally the most liked image in the history of social media, whether it should’ve been taken there or not.
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