Qatar, the host of this year’s FIFA World Cup of soccer, has faced a barrage of criticism that began in 2010 when it was awarded the tournament. Concerns about the treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community have made this World Cup one of the most heavily criticized and denounced in history.
Migrant workers in Qatar who helped build stadiums and World Cup infrastructure, often flown in from some of the poorest countries on the planet, worked in extreme conditions and, in many cases, had their wages withheld. Moreover, between sixty five hundred and fifteen thousand migrant workers died while employed in Qatar between 2010 and 2022.
Amnesty International, which focuses on the exposure and prevention of human rights abuses, has identified the mistreatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ2S+ in Qatar as a serious problem in need of remedy. At least a dozen soccer associations agree with Amnesty International, including those that represent England, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, and are advocating for the creation of a 440 million dollar victim’s relief fund to compensate the labourers and families that were harmed in the lead up to the World Cup. Sadly, as of November 20, the Canadian Soccer Association (“Canada Soccer”), which oversees soccer in this country, has refused to join this action.
In an open letter to Canada Soccer, Ketty Nivyabandi, the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, congratulates the Canadian team for making the tournament but criticizes its leadership for not “follow[ing] up” with the Amnesty Canada Migrant Labour working group “to discuss Qatar’s human rights record.” Amnesty also requests that Canada Soccer begin taking concrete steps to “emerge as a leader in the field of sports and human rights ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Canada will co-host.” Unfortunately, Canada Soccer continues to remain quiet despite this overture from Amnesty International and has not publicly acknowledged the recommendations and remedies put forward.
With Canada’s first game scheduled for November 23 against Belgium, the second highest-ranked team in the world, public interest in the team and Canada Soccer has arguably never been higher. It is in Canada Soccer’s best interest to not only engage with Amnesty International but also provide leadership to remedy the abuses against migrant workers and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community that have occurred in Qatar. Failure to act would be a lost opportunity on the world stage and, ultimately, the squandering of a great opportunity to demonstrate the ability of sport to unify, to be inclusive, and to be an agent of positive and progressive change.