Just because someone didn't boycott those mentioned events shouldn't mean it's immoral for them to make a stance on it now. Maybe people are getting sick to death of the levels of corruption within sport and this is the final straw? Either way surely doing something is better than nothing?
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[Football] Time to boycott the world cup in Qatar...
- Thread starter Insel affe
- Start date
Just because someone didn't boycott those mentioned events shouldn't mean it's immoral for them to make a stance on it now. Maybe people are getting sick to death of the levels of corruption within sport and this is the final straw? Either way surely doing something is better than nothing?
maltaseagull
Well-known member
Would you still watch if England refused to send a team. (Albeit very unlikely)
hart's shirt
Well-known member
Qatar should never have been awarded the World Cup in the first place. Regardless of recent success (i.e. winning the AFC Asian Cup 2019, the equivalent of the Euros), it was a travesty for the tournament to be awarded to a country that had never qualified by right for any previous WC. Whilst I do agree that the tournaments should be spread around the globe (it is a 'World' Cup after all), there was a far more worthy candidate for 2022 with a track record and who hadn't previously hosted in Australia. The other candidates (USA, Japan and South Korea) had all previously held the tournament, but they had at least qualified and had some success in earlier tournaments. Taking into account the thousands of empty seats for the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, the jury is still very much out as to whether there's enough interest in sports generally.
But when it comes to boycotting sports events over human rights and atrocities, here's where it starts getting problematic and more painful as we get closer to home. Russia hosted the last World Cup in 2018, but previously they'd held the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Hundreds of migrants, mainly Uzbek, died in the construction work there. It was flagged up very early (the link is for an article dated January 2015), yet there was little or no talk of any of the home nations boycotting the World Cup in Russia 3 years later. A rhetorical question perhaps, but should it really matter whether it's the IOC or FIFA and hundreds of deaths rather than thousands?
https://www.rferl.org/a/ghosts-of-sochi-olympics-migrant-deaths/26779493.html
Sadly, when it comes to human rights and slavery, modern-day or historic, significant change often takes significant time. As an example, in March 1807 the Slave Trade Act was finally passed in Parliament, but the first bill had been presented by William Wilberforce in April 1791, some 16 years earlier. Even then, it was only the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which formerly freed 800,000 Africans who were then the legal property of Britain's slave owners. And what's worse, that act contained financial compensation to the slave owner for loss of property. This was 40% of the Government spending for 1834 and was the equivalent of between £16bn and £17bn in 2015. Every penny went to slave owners - nothing went to the slaves. And in 2007, 200 years after the Slave Trade Act, Tony Blair formally apologized and stated the need "to remember what happened in the past, to condemn it and say why it was entirely unacceptable".
George Orwell once likened Britain to a wealthy family that maintains a guilty silence about the sources of its wealth. He saw it from a first-hand perspective - his own father was involved in the opium production near the Indian-Nepalese border that was then exported to China. So yes, let's definitely call things out on a global scale, including Qatar and the region, but let's also be aware of our own shame as well. As someone who's taught History to secondary school students, I'd certainly emphathize the need to understand and remember the mistakes of the past in an effort not to repeat them. Even the parts that we'd rather not dwell on.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...scale-revealed
https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...ainst-humanity
But when it comes to boycotting sports events over human rights and atrocities, here's where it starts getting problematic and more painful as we get closer to home. Russia hosted the last World Cup in 2018, but previously they'd held the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Hundreds of migrants, mainly Uzbek, died in the construction work there. It was flagged up very early (the link is for an article dated January 2015), yet there was little or no talk of any of the home nations boycotting the World Cup in Russia 3 years later. A rhetorical question perhaps, but should it really matter whether it's the IOC or FIFA and hundreds of deaths rather than thousands?
https://www.rferl.org/a/ghosts-of-sochi-olympics-migrant-deaths/26779493.html
Sadly, when it comes to human rights and slavery, modern-day or historic, significant change often takes significant time. As an example, in March 1807 the Slave Trade Act was finally passed in Parliament, but the first bill had been presented by William Wilberforce in April 1791, some 16 years earlier. Even then, it was only the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which formerly freed 800,000 Africans who were then the legal property of Britain's slave owners. And what's worse, that act contained financial compensation to the slave owner for loss of property. This was 40% of the Government spending for 1834 and was the equivalent of between £16bn and £17bn in 2015. Every penny went to slave owners - nothing went to the slaves. And in 2007, 200 years after the Slave Trade Act, Tony Blair formally apologized and stated the need "to remember what happened in the past, to condemn it and say why it was entirely unacceptable".
George Orwell once likened Britain to a wealthy family that maintains a guilty silence about the sources of its wealth. He saw it from a first-hand perspective - his own father was involved in the opium production near the Indian-Nepalese border that was then exported to China. So yes, let's definitely call things out on a global scale, including Qatar and the region, but let's also be aware of our own shame as well. As someone who's taught History to secondary school students, I'd certainly emphathize the need to understand and remember the mistakes of the past in an effort not to repeat them. Even the parts that we'd rather not dwell on.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...scale-revealed
https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...ainst-humanity
Last edited:
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,321
maltaseagull
Well-known member
I've boycotted MANY a World Cup because Scotland refused to send a team
Shame.
You have missed soooooo many tournaments because of the Scottish FA's integrity
Well - we can start that now (Coca Cola, McDonalds, Visa, Adidas, Budweiser...)
Arthur
Well-known member
Seeing as many of you are banging the same drum.....I'll ask you this question, how many of these heinous crimes you are talking about have they been found guilty of?
I'm not saying they are squeaky clean, far from it.
It has been proven they bought the hosting of it....big whoop. Russia did the same and what a great tournament that was. Didn't go myself but those I know that went loved it.
I went to the game in Qatar in 2009 when they "bribed/asked" us to play Brazil in exchange for a vote for us for 2022 (which never happened). Place was just a desert then, Doha was beginning to resemble a Dubai clone but nothing like it is today. It stank of money out there and was very very very middle eastern, I think there were 5 hotels in the city you could get a drink and only one served alcohol all day but even that closed the bar at 10pm. The airport was like a scout hut. Been back twice since with work and its very different, so much development, lots of western businesses there and the airport is now one of the biggest in the world. Most importantly you don't have to move heaven and earth to get a drink. It's going to be an interesting tournament, very different.
Undecided if I'll go but I certainly be watching it on telly. Don't see what good boycotting will do and would be a touch hypocritical personally and probably for many of you saying you will (I bet you all use businesses who have a presence there already).
I'm not saying they are squeaky clean, far from it.
It has been proven they bought the hosting of it....big whoop. Russia did the same and what a great tournament that was. Didn't go myself but those I know that went loved it.
I went to the game in Qatar in 2009 when they "bribed/asked" us to play Brazil in exchange for a vote for us for 2022 (which never happened). Place was just a desert then, Doha was beginning to resemble a Dubai clone but nothing like it is today. It stank of money out there and was very very very middle eastern, I think there were 5 hotels in the city you could get a drink and only one served alcohol all day but even that closed the bar at 10pm. The airport was like a scout hut. Been back twice since with work and its very different, so much development, lots of western businesses there and the airport is now one of the biggest in the world. Most importantly you don't have to move heaven and earth to get a drink. It's going to be an interesting tournament, very different.
Undecided if I'll go but I certainly be watching it on telly. Don't see what good boycotting will do and would be a touch hypocritical personally and probably for many of you saying you will (I bet you all use businesses who have a presence there already).
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,321
Shame.
You have missed soooooo many tournaments because of the Scottish FA's integrity
Guess the Maltese FA must have even MORE integrity then
el punal
Well-known member
Not commenting on whether anyone should watch or not or defending Qatar but there is a huge amount of hypocrisy already in this thread.
The UK is currently providing significant military hardware and logistical support to Saudi Arabia. Saudi is committing war crimes currently in Yemen and the UK is facilitating it. Yemen is now facing a terrible humanitarian crisis which the UK is enabling. Over 200,000 deaths and 400,000 children acutely malnourished.
Lets not forget the huge amount of death and destruction we have caused in the Middle East over the last decades in Iraq, Syria and Libya by direct UK involvement.
If we are to apply moral standards equally then we should boycott the Prem as well.
The UK is currently providing significant military hardware and logistical support to Saudi Arabia. Saudi is committing war crimes currently in Yemen and the UK is facilitating it. Yemen is now facing a terrible humanitarian crisis which the UK is enabling. Over 200,000 deaths and 400,000 children acutely malnourished.
Lets not forget the huge amount of death and destruction we have caused in the Middle East over the last decades in Iraq, Syria and Libya by direct UK involvement.
If we are to apply moral standards equally then we should boycott the Prem as well.
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
Why are you bringing Sky into it? World Cups are usually shown on BBC and ITV. If that's going to be the case this time and if you want to punish the broadcasters then maybe start a campaign to persuade people not to pay their licence fee?
I do think some sort of consumer boycott is the way forward though. Lets face it, the FA aren't going to withdraw of their own accord, but targetted campaigns against the sponsors might have an effect. (But no, I'm not holding my breath). However playing in Qatar should be seen as being as morally reprehensible as playing in apartheid-era South Africa, and that isn't going to happen unless pressure is applied somewhere. It has to come from us, the fans, as I don't think the government should get involved and ban the home nations from attending. Thatcher wanted to do that with the British team for the 1980 Moscow Olympics and rightly failed.
Just assumed Sky would be all over it - and this time round maybe they will?
Totally agree with you about targeted campaigns though. I'll join ........................
Arthur
Well-known member
The world cup finals are a protected event and has to be shown on free to air channels (like Wimbledon, Grand National, Six Nations etc etc)
It doesn't require everybody. A sufficient amount to put the sponsors off, and there could be nothing to watch anyway for the people who don't care about modern slavery but just want to watch football whatever.
Perfect targets for a Twitter campaign I'd have thought. Millions of Twitter followers not buying coke or Adidas, Budweiser, McDonald's etc. - there are alternatives to all of them after all.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,263
When I heard the figure of 6,500 on Sky I had to rewind and play it again to confirm that I hadn't misheard it.
This figure is sickeningly high. The really sad thing is we are so far down the road that the event MUST now go ahead, otherwise all those lives will have been lost in vain.
I cannot believe that when Qatar bid for the tournament with virtually no infrastructure in place FIFA didn't drill down into how it would all be created in time and on budget. Surely with the searing heat it must rule out construction for several months of the year, not just with manpower but also some materials too?
Even the Egyptian pharoahs only built their pyramids in the rainy season when the workers were idle because their fields were flooded.
And what will happen to those 7 new stadiums once the tournament is over?
This figure is sickeningly high. The really sad thing is we are so far down the road that the event MUST now go ahead, otherwise all those lives will have been lost in vain.
I cannot believe that when Qatar bid for the tournament with virtually no infrastructure in place FIFA didn't drill down into how it would all be created in time and on budget. Surely with the searing heat it must rule out construction for several months of the year, not just with manpower but also some materials too?
Even the Egyptian pharoahs only built their pyramids in the rainy season when the workers were idle because their fields were flooded.
And what will happen to those 7 new stadiums once the tournament is over?
You could also add the appalling way we treat migrants and refugees. Which is about to get worse. The UK has a pretty shameful recent (and past) history of treating those with humanitarian need.
