Football (Soccer) Thread

[Josquius]

I guess all we can do is hope for a Qatari regime change

[Syt]

[Syt]

FIFA to clubs: Fuck off and deal with it.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31620713

2022 World Cup: Fifa rules out compensation for unhappy clubs

Fifa says it will not pay compensation to clubs and leagues unhappy about plans to play the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November and December.

It also said no apology was necessary for the scheduling of the tournament, which will disrupt a number of leagues.

A Fifa taskforce has recommended the 2022 World Cup take place in winter to avoid Qatar's hot summer temperatures.

"There will be no compensation," said Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke. "There are seven years to reorganise."

Fifa's executive committee will meet in Zurich next month to ratify the taskforce's recommendation.

Valcke also suggested that a 2022 World Cup final on 23 December was looking increasingly likely.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore says a final that close to Christmas will cause havoc with the traditional festive club programme, while Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce wants it played a week earlier.

But Valcke says European governing body Uefa and other confederations are keen on Friday, 23 December, although 18 December is also a possibility.

Valcke also confirmed the 2022 World Cup will be four days shorter as a "concession" to leagues and clubs - 28 days instead of the usual 31 or 32 - and that the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will move to June from January.

'It's not perfect, we know that'

Speaking at a news conference in Doha on Wednesday, Valcke admitted the situation was "not perfect" but added: "Why are we talking about compensation? It's happening once, we're not destroying football.

"Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m (£26m) in 2010 and $70m (£45m) in 2014. We are bringing all our people to enjoy the sporting and financial results of the World Cup."

'Clearly there will be fixture challenges'

Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan has added his voice to those lamenting the impact a winter World Cup will have on leagues and clubs around the world.

"We will look at the knock-on effects of the decision and how it will affect Scottish football," he said. "Clearly there will be fixture challenges for leagues across the world.

"We have been expecting this decision for some time, but it is going to run late into December and just how close to Christmas it gets is something that needs to be thought through."

[Valmy]

How can 1,200 workers in Qatar already be dead?  We still have almost eight years to go.

[Liep]

How can 1,200 workers in Qatar already be dead?  We still have almost eight years to go.

Because nobody cares if they have to work in the summer time.

[Syt]

It appears a number that has come from an investigation by the International Trade Union Confederation.

http://www.ituc-csi.org/global-dispute-over-qatar-2022

In the two years since the ITUC first outlined to FIFA the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar, an average of 600 workers have died there. The ITUC estimates 4000 workers will die in Qatar before the start of the World Cup in 2022 if no action is taken.

"Workers' from countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and increasingly Africa are used as forced labour, denied the right to join a union, live in squalid living conditions and often are not paid the wages they are promised. Scores of healthy young men are dying. This web of deadly practices draws in international companies, the Government of Qatar and FIFA," said Sharan Burrow.

[Valmy]

FIFA pissed us all off enough during what should have been uncontroversial World Cups in South Africa and Brazil.  I may be to the point I don't watch Qatar in 2022.  Everybody has their breaking point.  Heck we still have the Putin Cup between now and then.

[Syt]

Friends and colleagues who spent time in the region are not surprised, btw. They say it's pretty standard practice to lure workers/servants from India/Nepal over to there, confiscate their passports and then basically treat them as serfs or slaves. They said other projects have worse conditions, but the FIFA WC is drawing more attention.

[Valmy]

Friends and colleagues who spent time in the region are not surprised, btw. They say it's pretty standard practice to lure workers/servants from India/Nepal over to there, confiscate their passports and then basically treat them as serfs or slaves. They said other projects have worse conditions, but the FIFA WC is drawing more attention.

Well then why the hell would Qatar want to host the WC?  Are they crazy?  Do they really want these circumstances exposed to the whole world on such a big stage?

[Syt]

FIFA pissed us all off enough during what should have been uncontroversial World Cups in South Africa and Brazil.  I may be to the point I don't watch Qatar in 2022.  Everybody has their breaking point.  Heck we still have the Putin Cup between now and then.

I have the small hope that the Qatar WC will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. However, I'm sure there'll be enough shady back room deals between now and then to keep all interested parties mollified, and he hype machine will start in time to gloss over any problems, and the ruler will pay lip service to human rights.

[The Larch]

Friends and colleagues who spent time in the region are not surprised, btw. They say it's pretty standard practice to lure workers/servants from India/Nepal over to there, confiscate their passports and then basically treat them as serfs or slaves. They said other projects have worse conditions, but the FIFA WC is drawing more attention.

Well then why the hell would Qatar want to host the WC?  Are they crazy?  Do they really want these circumstances exposed to the whole world on such a big stage?

The world already knows and doesn't give a fuck, apparently.

[Valmy]

The world already knows and doesn't give a fuck, apparently.

Well yeah, when it is just one of dozens of atrocities being committed in various third world autocracies.  The World Cup is different.  Everybody who has a problem with the Qatari regime will use this opportunity to grand stand.

[Syt]

Friends and colleagues who spent time in the region are not surprised, btw. They say it's pretty standard practice to lure workers/servants from India/Nepal over to there, confiscate their passports and then basically treat them as serfs or slaves. They said other projects have worse conditions, but the FIFA WC is drawing more attention.

Well then why the hell would Qatar want to host the WC?  Are they crazy?  Do they really want these circumstances exposed to the whole world on such a big stage?

Qatar is trying to establish itself as THE sports location and the prestige associated with big events. It's why theFIFA WC is there, why the Handball WC was held there (with a local team of legionnaires that were promised lifetime pensions), and why the IAAF (track and field) World Championships 2019 (the biggest such event after Olympics) will be held there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Qatar

[Syt]

Oh, and:

According to the US State Department, expatriate workers from nations throughout Asia and parts of Africa are routinely subjected to forced labor and, in some instances, prostitution.[28] Most of these people voluntarily migrate to Qatar as low-skilled laborers or domestic servants, but are subsequently subjected to conditions indicative of involuntary servitude. Some of the more common labor rights violations include beatings, withholding of payment, charging workers for benefits which are nominally the responsibility of the amir, severe restrictions on freedom of movement (such as the confiscation of passports, travel documents, or exit permits), arbitrary detention, threats of legal action, and sexual assault.[28] Many migrant workers arriving for work in Qatar have paid exorbitant fees to recruiters in their home countries – a practice that makes workers highly vulnerable to forced labor once in Qatar.[28]

Like other Persian Gulf nations, Qatar has sponsorship laws, which have been widely criticized as "modern-day slavery."[29] Under the provisions of Qatar's sponsorship law, sponsors have the unilateral power to cancel workers' residency permits, deny workers' ability to change employers, report a worker as "absconded" to police authorities, and deny permission to leave the country.[28] As a result, sponsors may restrict workers' movements and workers may be afraid to report abuses or claim their rights, which contribute to their forced labor situation.[28]

Domestic servants are particularly vulnerable to trafficking since they are isolated inside homes and are not covered under the provisions of the labor law.[28] Qatar is also a destination for women who migrate for legitimate purposes and subsequently become involved in prostitution, but the extent to which these women are subjected to forced prostitution is unknown.[28] Some of these victims may be runaway domestic workers who have fallen prey to forced prostitution by individuals who exploit their illegal status.[28]

The Government states that it is doing a good job with regards to human rights[30] and treatment of laborers. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was established in 2002 to safeguard and consolidate human rights for everyone subject to the jurisdiction under the state.[31] In a bid to combat Human trafficking, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned established the Qatar Foundation on Combating Human Trafficking (QFCHT). To promote more awareness in this area, the Ritz-Carlton Doha, created the World's largest Cake for the QFCHT Sculpture.[32]

Qatari contracting agency Barwa is building a residential area for laborers known as Barwa Al Baraha (also called Workers City). The project was launched after a recent scandal in Dubai's Labor camps, and aims to provide a reasonable standard of living as defined by the new Human Rights Legislation.[33] The overall cost of the project is estimated at around $1.1 billion and will be an integrated city in the Industrial area of Doha. Along with 4.25 square metres of living space per person, the residential project will provide recreational areas and services for laborers. Phase one of the project is set to be completed at the end of 2008 while all phases will be complete by mid 2010.[34]

FIFA World Cup preparations and reported abuses[edit]
The construction boom in advance of Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup has reportedly led to an increase in human rights abuses. In 2013 Amnesty International published reports showing that unpaid migrant workers were left to go hungry. According to the report, workers are being "treated like cattle"[35] According to a report by the Guardian (and based on documents obtained at the Nepalese embassy in Qatar) dozens of Nepalese migrant laborers had died in Qatar in just a few weeks around in September 2013, and thousands more were enduring appalling labor abuses.[36] According to their analysis, current construction practices will have resulted in over 4,000 deaths by the time of the 2022 event.[36] As of December 2013, FIFA has investigated but taken no action to force Qatar to improve worker conditions.[35]

[Valmy]

I just hope they do not bid for Super Bowl LIII.