“The migrant workers injured, the families of those that died in the build-up to the World Cup, must be cared for,” said Lise Klaveness, Norwegian FA President.
She would add, “There is no room for employers who do not secure the freedom and safety of World Cup workers. No room for leaders who cannot host the women’s game. No room for hosts that cannot legally guarantee the safety and respect of the LGBTQ+ people coming to this theatre of dreams. A previous World Cup host has invaded another country. FIFA must set the tone and lead.”
It was an all-out scolding, not in a private interview, but live at the FIFA Congress on March 31 in Qatar. Just a day ahead of the 2022 World Cup draw, the world football governing body had been told the truth it had been hearing for some time now. Only this time, it was in front of world cameras, at their own Congress, from the head of one of the 210 member associations in attendance.
The timing couldn’t have been better or worse, depending on which side of the fence one sits. It had been 36 days since Russia, the host Klaveness was referring to, invaded Ukraine. FIFA was already under heat for its dealings with Russia and President Gianni Infantino decided to speak about it in his note at the very beginning of the Congress. In a way.
“My plea to all of those who have some power in this world, to all of those who are in important political positions in the world, please, please stop conflicts and wars,” Infantino said. “Please, for our children, for our future. Please engage in dialogue, even with your worst enemy. Please try to come together. And football will be there and will help in working together for peace.”
He would even quote Nelson Mandela and add, “Sport has the power to change the world. Football is the world sport. We are not naive to believe football can solve the world’s problems. Once this terrible conflict is over and all other conflicts around the world as well, hopefully very soon, football can play a small part in rebuilding relationships, in establishing peace and understanding – and we will be there at the forefront of doing that.”
In May, FIFA President Gianni Infantino cited Nelson Mandela & claimed football can change the world. Now he tells everyone to shut up & stick to football. A column on FIFA’s latest disgrace. @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/cmwQhYorOG
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) November 4, 2022
There was obviously a big applause at the end of it. The FIFA Congress in a World Cup year is held a day before the tournament’s draw, but this felt symbolic. It provided almost a transition from addressing the world issues regarding the last World Cup host to setting the stage for the next to take over. For the focus to shift to football. Until Klaveness got on stage.
Lip service
The first women President in Norwegian FA’s 120-year history explained why her country debated a boycott of the Qatar World Cup. “Instead, we voted for dialogue and pressure through FIFA as the best way to work for changes. Our members question ethics in sport and demand transparency. FIFA must act as a role model,” she said.
“In 2010, World Cups were awarded by FIFA in unacceptable ways with unacceptable consequences. Human rights, equality, democracy: the core interests of football were not in the starting XI until many years later. These basic rights were pressured onto the field as substitutes by outside voices. FIFA has addressed these issues but there’s still a long way to go,” she added.
There was pin-drop silence in the room during Klaveness’ speech and a not-so-loud applause at the end of it. What followed was even more awkward. Honduras FA secretary general Jose Ernesto Mejia, who wasn’t slotted to speak, requested that he be allowed to do so, and came on stage to say, “This is not the right forum or the right moment. This is football.”
Later during the Congress, the secretary general of the Qatar World Cup Supreme Committee, Hassan al-Thawadi said that he was “disappointed” by Klaveness not requesting a meeting before making her remarks at the AGM and emphasised on the importance to ‘educate’ before speaking.
It was evident that Klaveness had pulled the rug out from under the ‘this is football’ show. This was no longer just about the sport. But it wasn’t far off from what the FIFA President was trying to imply in his speech earlier. In a way. For football to be what Mandela envisioned sports to be, a ‘power to change the world’, it had to change itself. Or if not so, the least it could do was have a good look at those it awarded hosting rights for its biggest event.
But the fact that none of the remaining 209 member associations or anyone from the world governing body from a room full of people who run the sport agreed or nodded to Klaveness’ assessment really told a story. One about talking of using football to address world issues but when faced by the same, denying having any part in it.
Check your inbox, but not this video from G20
It was expected that as the countdown to the World Cup got closer, the questions around Qatar’s track record on human rights issues, LGBTQ issues, the deaths of migrant workers, etc. would be questioned even more. And so with two weeks to go for the tournament, Infantino and FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura dispatched a star-marked email to the competing football federations, one that was leaked within hours.
“Please, let’s now focus on the football!” was the request.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s letter to 32 competing nations re: 2022 World Cup in Qatar leaked:
“Please let’s now focus on football! Please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) November 4, 2022
“We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world. But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”
A week later and five days ahead of the World Cup, Infantino called for a ceasefire in the conflict in Ukraine during the tournament and offered football as a ‘a unique platform of unity and peace all over the world’ at the G20 leaders summit.
“Russia hosted the last World Cup in 2018, and Ukraine is bidding to host the World Cup in 2030,” he said. “Maybe, the current World Cup, starting in five days, can really be that positive trigger. So my plea, to all of you, is to think on a temporary ceasefire, for one month, for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, or at least the implementation of humanitarian corridors, or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace.”
The chief of football’s world governing body was requesting heads of state to opt for peace and end war at a world summit four days after the body had denied the Denmark national team from wearing training kits with the words, ‘human rights for all’.
Not the first
FIFA and the World Cup aren’t the only ones to have changed stance over the use of football to address social issues or promoting it as a game for all. It was at last year’s men’s Euros that UEFA denied Munich’s request to light up the Allianz Arena exterior for the Germany-Hungary match with rainbow lights, signifying the LGBTQ flag.
The request came on the back of a large number of Hungary fans turning up at the venue in Budapest for the home team’s group games wearing black shirts, carrying placards that read, “Anti-LMBTQ”, the Hungarian abbreviation for LGBTQ. This, with the Hungarian parliament having recently passed a law that banned individuals from the LGBTQ community from appearing in educational materials in schools or in television shows for the under-18 age group.
With Germany slotted to face Hungary in their last group stage fixture, Munich’s city council wrote an application to UEFA with the request to illuminate the LGBTQ colours. The tournament organising body deemed the request as one with a ‘political context’ in their response and declined it.
Hours later, the German FA would release a statement that their captain Manuel Neuer wearing a rainbow armband was being ‘looked into’ by UEFA, an investigation that was eventually dropped.
UEFA has dropped the investigation into Manuel Neuer’s rainbow armband during Germany’s #Euro2020 games.
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 21, 2021
The aforementioned events took place during the pride month, when UEFA were also promoting the ‘Equal Game’ campaign (online and offline) in ‘opposition to all forms of discrimination’ – a campaign that included using a rainbow-paint mini car, symbolising a LGBTQ flag, to deliver the Euro final match ball.
