In less than a week, the 22nd edition of the Football World Cup will open in Qatar. The sporting event has drawn severe political scrutiny, since the host country is a Gulf monarchy loyal to Sharia law.
For many weeks now, a nagging sound has been heard. What if, after all, it wasn’t such a good idea to have chosen Qatari hospitality for this global event?
The scandal of the sports facilities needed to host the Cup comes to mind. Months and months of construction work, under the sweltering sun of the Arabian Peninsula desert, saw hundreds, perhaps thousands of workers, nameless and faceless migrants, more or less enslaved and sacrificed on the altar of the circus games of the 21st century. The figure of 6,500 deaths has been put forward, yet vigorously denied by the Qatari authorities.
A scruple of conscience thus began to touch some fine minds.
There was something rather awkward about wanting to pretend nothing had happened when everyone knew about the scandal. So, at the risk of spoiling the party, voices raised in protest dampened the enthusiasm usually generated by the cult of football. French cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseilles announced that they would not broadcast World Cup matches live in the streets, as they usually do for such events.
Former Olympique Marseillais striker and Manchester United star Éric Cantona announced on his Facebook page in September that he would boycott the Qatar-led World Cup on the grounds that it was an “ecological aberration” and a “human horror.” The former footballer did not mince his words in the flowery language that is his trademark: “How many thousands of deaths, to build these stadiums, to finally clown around for two months … and nobody cares. The very caricature of what man is capable of carrying within him as extreme filth.”
Some slightly embarrassed footballers have suggested wearing a discreet black armband in memory of the innocent victims buried under the stadiums.
Ecological aberration, human horror. The slate was already full, but a new scruple came to invade the good conscience of the world citizen: what about LGBT rights? Qatar is not what one would call a ‘gay friendly’ country. Under the skies of this small emirate of 11,500 km², the rights of homosexuals and other transgender people are non-existent, and homosexual acts are purely and simply illegal. Any act of a homosexual nature in public is severely punished, with a penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment. For people of the Muslim faith, such behaviour earns the death penalty. Oh dear! This did not make things any easier for the European supporter who loves inclusiveness. So then brains were racked to find an honourable way out. A new proposal emerged: what if football players wore an innocent little rainbow armband with the slogan ‘One love’ in solidarity with oppressed minorities? This would at least be less sinister than the black armband, more … gay, as it were.
But here’s the thing. The rainbow armband is likely to vehemently displease the Qatari host. The authorities have explicitly asked for “discretion” from LGBT people during the Cup. The players hesitated. Murmured, wondered, scratched their heads. Many dangers were lurking behind that little piece of cloth. How would the European fan base, a significant number of whom—it has to be said—have some connection with Islam and are not particularly enthusiastic about gay activism, react? And what about all those international players who are paid handsomely by clubs belonging to Sharia powers—PSG in the hands of Qatar, Manchester City in those of the United Arab Emirates, to name but a few? Beware, black or rainbow, the choice is a slippery slope! The one screams homophobic cowardice, the other, anti-Muslim contempt and islamophobia. Neither path is smooth and easy, and as is often the case in the death struggle between tyrannical minorities, the monsters end up devouring each other.
Eight captains of European teams finally made it known that they would not wear armbands. The voice of wisdom was heard through the mouth of Hugo Lloris, goalkeeper of the French team. Despite his support for the LGBT cause, he said he would not wear a rainbow armband, because the most important thing for him was to “respect the Qatari culture.” “In France, when we welcome foreigners, we want them to respect our rules and culture. And I will do the same in Qatar,” he explained.
A noble sentiment, which we would like to see shared a little more widely. In fact, we don’t ask that much of the Qatari and other Emirates inhabitants when they come to trample European soil. Nor do we expect it of the waves of immigrants who come to the gates of London, Paris, and Berlin. In this particular case, it is up to us to ‘respect their customs;’ Imposing our own would be seen as invasive or contemptuous of cultural diversity (fascist, or colonialist, we may say).
“Something will be put in place,” Lloris assured—but it is not yet clear what.
The British Foreign Secretary agreed with Hugo Lloris. He called on supporters to show “a little bit of flex and compromise,” moderating their zeal to defend the LGBT cause on Qatar soil. For now, then, indignation will wait, the FIFA said. After all, the next Winter Olympics will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2029, proving that these Gulf statesmen are still the best people in the world!
The Rainbow vs. the Crescent: Some Thoughts on the World Cup in Qatar
In less than a week, the 22nd edition of the Football World Cup will open in Qatar. The sporting event has drawn severe political scrutiny, since the host country is a Gulf monarchy loyal to Sharia law.
For many weeks now, a nagging sound has been heard. What if, after all, it wasn’t such a good idea to have chosen Qatari hospitality for this global event?
The scandal of the sports facilities needed to host the Cup comes to mind. Months and months of construction work, under the sweltering sun of the Arabian Peninsula desert, saw hundreds, perhaps thousands of workers, nameless and faceless migrants, more or less enslaved and sacrificed on the altar of the circus games of the 21st century. The figure of 6,500 deaths has been put forward, yet vigorously denied by the Qatari authorities.
A scruple of conscience thus began to touch some fine minds.
There was something rather awkward about wanting to pretend nothing had happened when everyone knew about the scandal. So, at the risk of spoiling the party, voices raised in protest dampened the enthusiasm usually generated by the cult of football. French cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseilles announced that they would not broadcast World Cup matches live in the streets, as they usually do for such events.
Former Olympique Marseillais striker and Manchester United star Éric Cantona announced on his Facebook page in September that he would boycott the Qatar-led World Cup on the grounds that it was an “ecological aberration” and a “human horror.” The former footballer did not mince his words in the flowery language that is his trademark: “How many thousands of deaths, to build these stadiums, to finally clown around for two months … and nobody cares. The very caricature of what man is capable of carrying within him as extreme filth.”
Some slightly embarrassed footballers have suggested wearing a discreet black armband in memory of the innocent victims buried under the stadiums.
Ecological aberration, human horror. The slate was already full, but a new scruple came to invade the good conscience of the world citizen: what about LGBT rights? Qatar is not what one would call a ‘gay friendly’ country. Under the skies of this small emirate of 11,500 km², the rights of homosexuals and other transgender people are non-existent, and homosexual acts are purely and simply illegal. Any act of a homosexual nature in public is severely punished, with a penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment. For people of the Muslim faith, such behaviour earns the death penalty. Oh dear! This did not make things any easier for the European supporter who loves inclusiveness. So then brains were racked to find an honourable way out. A new proposal emerged: what if football players wore an innocent little rainbow armband with the slogan ‘One love’ in solidarity with oppressed minorities? This would at least be less sinister than the black armband, more … gay, as it were.
But here’s the thing. The rainbow armband is likely to vehemently displease the Qatari host. The authorities have explicitly asked for “discretion” from LGBT people during the Cup. The players hesitated. Murmured, wondered, scratched their heads. Many dangers were lurking behind that little piece of cloth. How would the European fan base, a significant number of whom—it has to be said—have some connection with Islam and are not particularly enthusiastic about gay activism, react? And what about all those international players who are paid handsomely by clubs belonging to Sharia powers—PSG in the hands of Qatar, Manchester City in those of the United Arab Emirates, to name but a few? Beware, black or rainbow, the choice is a slippery slope! The one screams homophobic cowardice, the other, anti-Muslim contempt and islamophobia. Neither path is smooth and easy, and as is often the case in the death struggle between tyrannical minorities, the monsters end up devouring each other.
Eight captains of European teams finally made it known that they would not wear armbands. The voice of wisdom was heard through the mouth of Hugo Lloris, goalkeeper of the French team. Despite his support for the LGBT cause, he said he would not wear a rainbow armband, because the most important thing for him was to “respect the Qatari culture.” “In France, when we welcome foreigners, we want them to respect our rules and culture. And I will do the same in Qatar,” he explained.
A noble sentiment, which we would like to see shared a little more widely. In fact, we don’t ask that much of the Qatari and other Emirates inhabitants when they come to trample European soil. Nor do we expect it of the waves of immigrants who come to the gates of London, Paris, and Berlin. In this particular case, it is up to us to ‘respect their customs;’ Imposing our own would be seen as invasive or contemptuous of cultural diversity (fascist, or colonialist, we may say).
“Something will be put in place,” Lloris assured—but it is not yet clear what.
The British Foreign Secretary agreed with Hugo Lloris. He called on supporters to show “a little bit of flex and compromise,” moderating their zeal to defend the LGBT cause on Qatar soil. For now, then, indignation will wait, the FIFA said. After all, the next Winter Olympics will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2029, proving that these Gulf statesmen are still the best people in the world!
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