The football World Cup begins this weekend in Qatar and apart from the problem that no-one really knows how to actually pronounce the name of the country, the dominating issue is that the Arab state has a long history of human rights offences, including those against LGBTQ+ rights.
What is slightly frustrating is that the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in 2010, but for 12 years not much has been done by anyone opposed to this plan. Now we are less than a week away from the first game, everyone is shouting about human rights offences. It’s just a bit too late.
Any country that felt strongly enough about the issue has had 12 years to do something about it. Many countries could have refused to attend, but no-one really wants to miss out on the party, or the prizes, so everyone followed FIFA like sheep and it has been swept under the carpet.
What is interesting is that Qatar is not the first country to host the World Cup, that has human rights issues. Chile was the host in 1962 and they have significant human rights issues included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by law enforcement officers, violence against indigenous persons, trafficking in persons, and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons.
More recently Mexico hosted the tournament in 1982. According to Human Rights Watch, Mexico is also one of the most dangerous countries in the world for human rights defenders. Not only that, but it is one of the most dangerous countries for drug-related gang violence and murders. We do not even need to say much about Russia hosting the World Cup in 2018, we all know enough about that country!
Whether you decide to watch the football or not, it is clear that whenever there is money involved, there can be ‘foul’ play and corruption. But football is still growing worldwide so the problems are not going away anytime soon. In fact, with the current growth in women’s football, the issues are not only going to get bigger, but even more complex.
Whilst some are not huge fans of the women’s game, it is good to see that they have their own professional league and it is growing in popularity. But it is odd when people ask for equality, when the women’s and men’s games are clearly poles apart. Financially, the men’s game has a much longer history and now has a global reach, generating billions. The women’s game currently only generates a fraction of that money.
Physically, the games are different too. Women’s football is a little slower and has more of a passing, European-style feel about it. It does not make it any worse, or any better, it’s just different.
The biggest difference between men’s and women’s football, is that there are more risks to women that are not immediately apparent. Sports bras, are largely developed for runners and not footballers who rapidly change direction. Breast pain is reported by 44% of elite women athletes. Many athletes are required to wear branded sports bras by kit sponsors, which might not fit correctly, and it’s common for players to wear two bras.
Concerns have been flagged about the ball size and mass because of “increased incidence and severity of concussion” in women’s football compared to men’s. Bet you had not come across that one before!
Most football boots are designed for men too. This means that women have a two to five times higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which affect the knee. Other risks include foot deformation, skin conditions like blisters, and even stress fractures.
This is before we even get onto the topics of menstruation or pregnancy. FIFA are looking at reforms to protect professional football players when they are pregnant.
All of this just goes to prove that there will never be equality in football, but perhaps that’s no bad thing. Both men and woman have their own needs and requirements and it is good news that this is now being recognised. It does show that with the increase in popularity in the women’s game, these issues are now being highlighted and addressed. We are now on that journey, but we still have a long way to go. A bit like the nation of Qatar!
