Publication Social Movements / Organizing - Participation / Civil Rights - Globalization - Gulf States Reclaim the Game!

What we can learn from the controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Information

Series

Book

Publishers

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung,

Published

April 2022

Ordering advice

Available

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Illustration: Carolin Wedekind

As the World Cup in Qatar draws nearer, we want to take a closer look at different aspects of the tournament. To do so, we invited experts from human rights organizations, trade unions, politics, fan initiatives, and migrant workers from South Asia themselves to share their views. Among other things, we shed light on the region’s geopolitical history, Qatar’s “sportswashing”, and the history of migrant labour in the country. We also discuss the current labour law reforms and women’s rights in Qatar. We try to show what global justice in the sports industry could look like and what valuable contributions clubs and associations can make via critical engagement and promoting democratic structures.

With less than a year until the games kick off, we hope to use this booklet to give space to different voices without completely dismissing the World Cup and calling for a boycott. We want to deal with our own schizophrenia, the fact that we as football fans are mostly against the corruption and money-making of the “non-profit” associations like FIFA — but when the World Cup is on, many of us turn on the TV to watch. So how can we use the popularity and power of football positively? What examples are there, and what would have to happen for us to be able to fully enjoy a World Cup?

These and many other questions are taken up in the book Reclaim the Game.

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