Boycott The Qatar World Cup?

Spoony said:
They don't class them as work related deaths and all. Also the people who go to the likes of Qatar get loans to buy their airfare. Once they arrive in the Gulf their passports are confiscated, and they start workubg for 250 USD per month (Qatar WC) usually they live in horrible conditions. Most of them won't be allowed to go back home until the construction has been completed. One of the reason why their passports are confiscated is because the workers realise they're not actually earning enough to make it worthwhile to be away from their homeland and families. It's modern day slavery and it's disgusting. The stories I've heard have shocked me.
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Not anymore in Qatar. This has been changed for few years now. That is something you can thank the international community for, for putting pressure on the Qatari government to change that absurd and inhumane law.
 
Rood said:
Your arguing against a strawman here - most of your post has little to do with the points I made or the subject of this thread.
I would prefer that you stick to commenting on what I've said rather than make incorrect assumptions about my logic on unrelated subjects.

Now to answer your question, I believe a protest is worthwhile either for publicity or because it has the potential to make a positive change.

I do agree that non-participation would be a blow to FIFA but I also think it's far too late for that kind of action now for the reasons I've already detailed.

Some countries say they considered boycotting 12/18 months ago - some even had a vote on it and all decided to play. That really was the time that this kind of action could have made a change, maybe it could have lead to a snowball effect of others following suit too which really would have been a worthwhile statement to push FIFA to take action.
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It's not a strawman, it's context. Human rights abuses and Fifa's nonsense are ongoing. You asked what would be achieved and I just explained the nature of protest. The material effect could be way down the line.

This is not the last world cup and I'd wager not the last that will be controversial so its not too late. Like I said, most anti war protests are as much for the next war as the current one.
 
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2500 Indian workers alone died in the UAE last year. The selective urge to boycott and be outraged is what undermines any realistic attempt to discredit this ridiculous tournament.

Bend over for for mansour and drool for his vanity project one week, pseudo outrage about Qatar the next.

As soon as blind eyes were turned all around for city's freak show, the moral highground in Britain was lost
 
Sorry lads, I’m going to watch it because there’s nothing else on, however I’ve stayed away from all the build up and pre tournament stuff so far, mostly because I’m tired of hearing about how we’re not allowed to enjoy anything about this tournament now it’s here
 
Should I boycott India, Nepal, and Bangladesh too? I mean, those countries must be poorly run and offer their citizens little chance of success in life if those citizens are desperate enough to go abroad and work in Qatar.
 
It amazes me all this ruckus. Sure they don't have human rights like in a lot of countries. But boycott the WC for this? Countries have illegally invaded other countries far from home and none talked of a boycott at all. Even now they are illegally occupying some parts of other countries. A lot more people have died due to these invasions that the immigrant workers in Qatar. Actually a lot of it's on the recruiting agencies in their own countries. They take half of their salaries.
 
Foxbatt said:
It amazes me all this ruckus. Sure they don't have human rights like in a lot of countries. But boycott the WC for this? Countries have illegally invaded other countries far from home and none talked of a boycott at all. Even now they are illegally occupying some parts of other countries. A lot more people have died due to these invasions that the immigrant workers in Qatar. Actually a lot of it's on the recruiting agencies in their own countries. They take half of their salaries.
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The answer is to fight all of it, not none of it.
 
lefty_jakobz said:
Who?
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The people who just don't care about the LGBT community, women and the oppressed workers at the bottom of the payscale but dress it up as principles in some greater search for equality and even handedness, or say protest is pointless.

Let's be honest these are three sections of society that have actual equality pretty much nowhere. Perhaps collectively we just don't give enough of a shit about anyone, , but especially women, the poor and the LGBT community.

I wonder how much protesting the naysayers in this thread have actually done for anyone.

I personally don't get the hierarchy of wrongs. If something is unjust, oppose it anyway you can. I think I've actually protested everything mentioned in this thread by the whatabouters at some point. I'm beginning to think one either cares or one doesn't and the whole discussion is just a validation for people who just want to watch football and not have it complicated by anything.
 
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SER19 said:
2500 Indian workers alone died in the UAE last year. The selective urge to boycott and be outraged is what undermines any realistic attempt to discredit this ridiculous tournament.

Bend over for for mansour and drool for his vanity project one week, pseudo outrage about Qatar the next.

As soon as blind eyes were turned all around for city's freak show, the moral highground in Britain was lost
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We're clutching at straws now.. Nobody likes Mansour.

If the world cup was in the UAE that's where the focus would. Yes it's lazy and morally reprehensible but sadly it's the best we seem to be able to do in terms of engaging with injustice.
 
No, you don't boycott the World Cup if you want to make your voice heard of the problems, then you are vocal about the problems. Make yourself heard of the potential SportWashing and Corruption and Human Rights and support the LGBTQ+ people's rights, by being vocal about at every possible means.

If you boycott the World Cup, then you hurt the people who are involved, the players the staff of the local Fifa entities, and so on, not the ones who were behind the deal that decided to give Qatar the keys to host it.
 
moses said:
I do, but when people join me I don't decide it's unworthy. Disunity kills protest.
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It is selective, to be fair, Mo. Russia has huge issues with racism yet they like Qatar hosted a global event(WC). And I doubt there will be many protests against the US when they host the WC. Qatari WC doesn't sit well with me though because there's hardly any redeeming qualities. But yeah screw the poor and the gays....we've got football to watch.
 
moses said:
I do, but when people join me I don't decide it's unworthy. Disunity kills protest.
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I dont want to be judgmental, but most of the active voices here were never active in this forum when the UK ot Russia held/been awarded prestigious tournaments, both countries were actively in war, occupying lands and killing innocent lives.

I dont want to repeat for the hundred times, nobody here against protesting, but people are sick of hypocrisy of selectivity. There were zero to minimal protesting on previous tournaments here and in the media and there will be zero to minimal again after this one.
 
Well, I've learned from this thread that there is never a good time to develop a conscience and act on it, because if you didn't do it before you're just a hypocrite/bigot/spoiler of good times.

Let us all continue spinning in the world, harming people with our ignorance and inaction, and never learn. Forever spinning and spinning...

Won't someone please think about the football kickers?
 
Giggsyking said:
I dont want to be judgmental, but most of the active voices here were never active in this forum when the UK ot Russia held/been awarded prestigious tournaments, both countries were actively in war, occupying lands and killing innocent lives.

I dont want to repeat for the hundred times, nobody here against protesting, but people are sick of hypocrisy of selectivity. There were zero to minimal protesting on previous tournaments here and in the media and there will be zero to minimal again after this one.
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Then just look on the bright side, now they might continue to look out for the oppressed.
 
Foxbatt said:
It amazes me all this ruckus. Sure they don't have human rights like in a lot of countries. But boycott the WC for this? Countries have illegally invaded other countries far from home and none talked of a boycott at all. Even now they are illegally occupying some parts of other countries. A lot more people have died due to these invasions that the immigrant workers in Qatar. Actually a lot of it's on the recruiting agencies in their own countries. They take half of their salaries.
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Which countries and which invasions?

How far back are we going, for instance should Italy not be considered as a potential host in the future because of the Roman Empires invasion of Parthia? Or should it just be more recent invasions like the US in Iraq? (Qatar took part in the 1st Gulf war)

And if it's only the latter then how long after an invasion can a country be considered again?
 
Spoony said:
It is selective, to be fair, Mo. Russia has huge issues with racism yet they like Qatar hosted a global event(WC). And I doubt there will be many protests against the US when they host the WC. Qatari WC doesn't sit well with me though because there's hardly any redeeming qualities. But yeah screw the poor and the gays....we've got football to watch.
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It's lacking consistency rather than selective. I find selective weaponises it and suggests agenda. Inconsistent is the nature if the human. We are not machines.

There has always been selective media coverage, Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent is still the Bible no matter how crazy he gets on his old age.

Is the media focus on the struggle of women in Iran strategic? Almost certainly yes. But its not fabricated, their struggle is real and if we just improve their lives then that's a concrete step both for long term equity and equality in Iran and throughiut the world.

The idea we should not care or act just to annoy CNN or the Pentagon is insane.

Ive always been one for protests and have seen people turn a, blind eye my whole life, both to the protest and what we were protesting. This active undermining of the protest is new, and I find it quite insidious at times.
 
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stevoc said:
Which countries and which invasions?

How far back are we going, for instance should Italy not be considered as a potential host in the future because of the Roman Empires invasion of Parthia? Or should it just be more recent invasions like the US in Iraq? (Qatar took part in the 1st Gulf war)

And if it's only the latter then how long after an invasion can a country be considered again?
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UK were awarded the OG and they were still occupying Iraq, Russia invaded Crimea 2014 and were still annexing it at the time of the Russia world cup. And you know the US will hold the next one, dont have to say much about them.
 
Giggsyking said:
UK were awarded the OG and they were still occupying Iraq, Russia invaded Crimea 2014 and were still annexing it at the time of the Russia world cup. And you know the US will hold the next one, dont have to say much about them.
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So, does it validate Irish anti World Cup protest in Qatar because have an antipathy to Britain or that we burned down a British embassy in the past or does it actually have no relevance to a protest on behalf of oppressed citizens in Qatar? It's quite an abstract if you ask me.
 
Giggsyking said:
I dont want to be judgmental, but most of the active voices here were never active in this forum when the UK ot Russia held/been awarded prestigious tournaments, both countries were actively in war, occupying lands and killing innocent lives.

I dont want to repeat for the hundred times, nobody here against protesting, but people are sick of hypocrisy of selectivity. There were zero to minimal protesting on previous tournaments here and in the media and there will be zero to minimal again after this one.
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That's very true especially in a forum where in the general section there are threads that openly mock religion citing prejudice views with an acceptance.
 
Giggsyking said:
UK were awarded the OG and they were still occupying Iraq, Russia invaded Crimea 2014 and were still annexing it at the time of the Russia world cup. And you know the US will hold the next one, dont have to say much about them.
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What's the OG, Olympic Games? So neither side of this argument is about football now?

I believe Russia were awarded the World Cup before Crimea but anyway, same question to you how long after a foreign invasion should a country be ruled out from hosting?
 
Where’s the next World Cup? USA/Mexico/Canada? Surely there’s nothing Canada have done that we have to boycott them… right? :(
 
Lay said:
Where’s the next World Cup? USA/Mexico/Canada? Surely there’s nothing Canada have done that we have to boycott them… right? :(
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Canada took part in the second Boer War in 1899 so that might rule them out. We'll have to see.
 
Lay said:
Where’s the next World Cup? USA/Mexico/Canada? Surely there’s nothing Canada have done that we have to boycott them… right? :(
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You're going to be disspointed my friend.
 
moses said:
We're clutching at straws now.. Nobody likes Mansour.

If the world cup was in the UAE that's where the focus would. Yes it's lazy and morally reprehensible but sadly it's the best we seem to be able to do in terms of engaging with injustice.
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We're not clutching at straws. City are constantly drooled over with very little caveat and I'll try find the article that said Mansour has half the sports journalists charmed like little schoolboys. You simply can't perpetuate the celebration of city - a team built on just the same level of corruption, murder and abhorrent human rights - and then expect people to be unanimously outraged by Qatar. One was a gateway for the other

Just read about the land deals the guy has been allowed to waltz into in Manchester. Barely a peep about them just a cultish fawning about guardiola - who will happily lecture us on other political issues

The all round hypocrisy is rank
 
Giggsyking said:
UK were awarded the OG and they were still occupying Iraq, Russia invaded Crimea 2014 and were still annexing it at the time of the Russia world cup. And you know the US will hold the next one, dont have to say much about them.
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The UK invented football.

Surely you should boycott the sport in this case? Because following and enjoying football is an endorsement of the UK
 
TheReligion said:
The UK invented football.

Surely you should boycott the sport in this case? Because following and enjoying football is an endorsement of the UK
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No they didn't.
 
Boycott man city? Off to Abu Dhabi for December where pep will smile and bend the knee for his masters again. Migrant worker deaths, lgbt rights, broad human rights abuses - they all exist there and City are used to try legitimise the place, and manager happy to smile along. But the reaction to raising this obvious hypocrisy and similarity is often defensive from all quarters - proof that sportswashing works
 
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