One of the biggest sporting events, the FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar this year. The upcoming extravaganza however has been marred in controversy ever since the announcement was made way back on December 2, 2010.
The awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar raised a number of concerns about sustainability and the fairness of FIFA in the bidding process. The biggest issue however came in terms of human rights violations by the Qatar government.
There have been numerous reports of mistreatment of migrant workers who were hired to build the infrastructure for the World Cup. Reports of workers working on unpaid wages are plenty, along with deaths, that were swept under the carpet.
Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, released a report about the condition of migrant workers in Qatar in November 2013. This report essentially described the workers’ conditions as “slaves”.
The Qatar government said that between 2014 and 2020 there were 37 deaths among workers at World Cup Stadium construction sites, but only three were “work-related”. Other reports have refuted this claim and believe that number to be much higher; around 6000!
Qatar has since then tried to polish its image and keep the bad news behind the curtains. A major tool for the good PR about Qatar has been their promotional video about the country featuring legendary footballer David Beckham. The promo video launched today shows Beckham gushing about Qatar and claiming the Middle Eastern country to be “perfection”. Beckham is seen sailing the boat, riding a motorbike and interacting with the locals in the glossy new video. David Beckham has signed a £10m deal to be the face of the Islamic nation and this video is a major part of it.
Twitter however did not fall for the PR video about calling a nation where homosexuality is illegal, and women have to seek approval from men, “perfection”. Many on Twitter accused the former England footballer of “selling his soul” and “doing it for the money”.
Let’s take a look at how Twitter reacted to the new Promo video from Qatar featuring David Beckham.
? David Beckham historically posting the Rainbow Flag on Instagram.
? Now the face of Qatar – where homosexuality comes with punishment of up to 3 years in prison and a fine and the possibility of death penalty for Muslims
Not that he needs the cash but £10m in the bank helps pic.twitter.com/eyxdnta7ah
— Jamie Jenkins (@statsjamie) August 30, 2022
New video shows David Beckham gushing about Qatar – despite it being illegal to be gay there | So-called feminist and pro-gay sports icon, #Beckham seems to forget all his principles when it comes to accepting dollars from despotic #Qatar. https://t.co/hsnoUh2IJk
— BrandEquality (@brand_equality) August 31, 2022
David Beckham says he cannot wait to bring his kids to Qatar, as he accepts £10 million to advertise the Gulf dictatorship. If his children were gay he would not be allowed bring them to Qatar because being gay is illegal there. How easily some are bought.https://t.co/KrV9pyoxoa
— John O’Brennan ?? (@JohnOBrennan2) August 30, 2022
Qatar “An incredible place” says David Beckham.
Well, as long as you’re not gay or a woman!
(In Qatar it’s illegal to be gay & women need permission to study or marry). pic.twitter.com/VUnejyWnu6— Emma Jean ???????? (@EmsieJeaine) August 30, 2022
A tale of David Beckham’s life lasting 7 short years, and £10 million quid. pic.twitter.com/dr82RfMrpe
— Cristo (@cristo_radio) August 30, 2022
Vile campaign, David Beckham.
Speak up for the LGBTQ+ community who are being washed out of existence, for the 6,500+ migrant workers who have died from the World Cup, for the women who live their lives in the shadow of men.
Using your influence for more money is disgusting. https://t.co/gQJa7Ge4MZ
— beardy boy (@joshua_j123) August 31, 2022
Qatar is able to pay David Beckham with the money saved by not paying the stadium construction workers it deported for protesting not being paidhttps://t.co/hGW8UGzTRw
— Irish Agreement (@irishagreement) August 30, 2022
EXCLUSIVE by @katiehind
David Beckham unveils multi-million pound deal to be face of Qatar for first time, describing the country – where gay people are persecuted and misogyny is rife – as ‘perfection’.https://t.co/o9aEikyESE via @mailplus
— Hayley Barlow (@Hayley_Barlow) August 30, 2022
David Beckham, self-declared feminist + @UNICEF ambassador, kicks off multi-million pound campaign to bring tourists to Qatar, describing it as an ‘incredible place’.
…aside from it being illegal to be gay + women still need permission to study or marry.https://t.co/n0vsDCZnRp
— David Challen (@David_Challen) August 30, 2022
Here’s Qatar’s national sponsor David Beckham. He’s still not said a word about what attracted him to this particular project, and has so far shied away from events where he could be asked questions. Peculiar situation.
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) August 29, 2022
David Beckham ladies and gentleman , sell out and ? https://t.co/hdMDYRGicI
— Rhys Lloyd (@RhysLloyd) August 31, 2022
