On Thursday, a row erupted on the Fifa congress floor over the legacy of hosting the men’s World Cup in Qatar, with the Norwegian Football Association president calling for stronger measures, only for the head of Qatar’s Supreme Committee to insist they ” educates “ yourself about the problems.
At a tightly organized standard event in Doha ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw, Lise Klaveness’s speech disrupted consensus when she said Fifa must act as a “model” and urged the organization to do more to help the families of migrant workers killed and injured working on the World Cup project.
“Our game can inspire dreams and break down barriers, but as leaders we have to do it right and at the highest level,” said Klaveness, a former Norway international. “We cannot ignore the calls for change and how Fifa runs the game says so much about how the game is perceived. Fifa must be a role model.
“In 2010 FIFA awarded world cups in an unacceptable way with unacceptable consequences. Human rights, equality and democracy – the core interests of football – were not in the starting XI. These basic rights were mainly pushed into the field from outside as a substitute. Fifa has addressed these issues but there is still a long way to go.”
Klaveness went on to call for concrete reforms. “Injured migrant workers or families of those who died in the run-up to the World Cup need care,” she said. “FIFA, all of us, must take all measures to implement changes. It is vitally important that the current leadership wholeheartedly continue in this way. There is no place for employers who cannot ensure the safety of workers, no place for hosts who cannot host the women’s game, who cannot legally guarantee the safety and respect of LGBTQ+ people who come to this theater of dreams . I fear our stadiums will be empty going forward if we overlook the urgency of the moment.”
The Norwegian FA President’s speech was followed by an unexpected address from Honduran FA General Secretary José Ernesto Mejía, who said it was “not the right forum or the right moment” to make such remarks.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), Hassan al-Thawadi, then delivered an impassioned speech defending the steps Qatar has taken since winning the right to host the World Cup. He said the country has “done 12 years of uninterrupted work … to ensure this tournament leaves a truly transformative social, human, economic and environmental legacy to remember.” We are aware of the limelight that comes with hosting the biggest show on earth and we have embraced it.”
Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, responds in Qatar. Photo: Noushad Thekkayil/EPAThawadi said the World Cup’s most important legacy is to correct prejudices that saw the Arab world as a place of conflict. He said he also wanted to reassure those concerned about a social legacy, citing positive reports from international unions on workers’ rights developments. “Our adversaries have become allies,” he said. “[and] Even our harshest critics, like Amnesty, recognize our commitment.”
He also criticized Klaveness for not speaking individually to the SC about Norwegian concerns. “At [the issue of a] social legacy, that’s what I want to assure the Norwegian Football Association,” he said. “[But] I want to express disappointment. Madam President has visited our country and has not requested a meeting. She did not attempt dialogue before speaking before Congress today. We were always open to dialogue and always welcomed constructive criticism. We’ve always opened the doors to anyone who wants to understand the issues and educate themselves before passing judgement.”
The Guardian understands that Klaveness Thawadi personally raised the issue of social heritage in Qatar as part of a Uefa working group that visited the country.
There was also controversy in Congress a moment later when Fifa President Gianni Infantino presented a video documenting the progress made in Qatar on labor and human rights since winning the World Cup.
The video said the SC was instrumental in ending the kafala system in the country, and Secretary-General of International Building and Woodworkers, Ambet Yuson, praised the improvements in workplace safety. “The health and safety standards at the stadium construction sites are at the same level as the health and safety standards in Europe,” Yuson said.
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The video also featured Piara Powar, executive director of the Fare network, which campaigns for equality in football, as she spoke about dialogue about the safety of LGBTQ+ supporters in Qatar, where homosexuality remains illegal. Although Powar is cited as positive about the process, the Guardian understands he has also raised concerns about a continuing lack of guarantees for fan safety, comments not in the video.
On Thursday, 16 organizations focused on LGBTIQ+ rights called on the SC to take action to keep fans safe, saying action has been slow and that “the assurances about the safety of LGBTIQ+ people and those in place Mechanisms to ensure security were not adequate”. The organizations said they had submitted eight calls to action to Fifa and the SC but have yet to receive a response from the latter.
Infantino announced that he would run for a second four-year term as president.