FIFA’S APPEAL TO THE TEAMS TO FOCUS ON FOOTBALL AND NOT ON POLITICS

In the midst of growing activism by teams and protests by rights groups, FIFA has urged the 32 teams preparing for the most political World Cup in history to focus on the game and avoid advising them on morality. When the World Cup squads are announced next week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura will be urging teams to "let football take center stage." Samoura and Infantino requested that the 32 federations refrain from entangling football in ideological or political disputes.

The selection of Qatar to host the 2010 World Cup sparked a debate regarding its treatment of low-wage migrant workers and its laws criminalizing same-sex relationships. Following FIFA's comments, public officials, including the Emir (male monarch), Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have targeted critics more stridently in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, the Emir condemned "fabrications" and "double standards" and described the campaign as "unprecedented".

As part of an anti-discrimination campaign launched in the Netherlands, eight European teams have committed to having their captains wear heart-shaped armbands, in violation of FIFA rules, and Australian players have taken part in a video voicing concerns about Qatar's human rights record. Numerous coaches and federations, including those from the United States, have called for the creation of a compensation fund for migrant workers' families. The Danish squad is wearing a black team jersey in honor of those who lost their lives in Qatar. Furthermore, the Dutch federation resisted FIFA on Friday by reaffirming its commitment to improving the conditions of migrant workers in Qatar for the long term. As part of their preparation for the World Cup opening match on November 29, the Dutch team officials have promised to press FIFA to establish a long-term resource center in Doha for migrant workers at the 211-member federation meeting hours before the opening match. Moreover, Iran has faced calls to be removed from the competition before it plays England in the second game of the competition on November 21, in a group that also contains the U.S.

Iranian fans are seeking the suspension of the federation for discrimination against women, and Ukrainian officials have requested the removal of Iran from the World Cup for supplying weapons to the Russian military and for human rights violations. During preparations for what he has consistently predicted will be the best World Cup ever, Infantino moved from Switzerland to Doha for the past year. The FIFA leaders said, "We realize that football does not exist in a vacuum and that there are various challenges and difficulties of a political nature throughout the world." "At FIFA, we strive to respect all opinions and beliefs without imparting moral lessons. Certainly, diversity is one of the world's greatest strengths, and inclusion means respecting that diversity." “No one nation, people, or culture is better than any other.” Infantino and Samoura concluded. Mutual respect and nondiscrimination are based on this principle. The Emir of Qatar has previously emphasized that all visitors to Qatar will be welcome regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality, and this is one of the core values of football. They reiterated long-standing promises of Qatar, including his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

In a separate in-house interview published on Friday by FIFA, Samoura acknowledged the perception of Qatar "as a conservative society, like my own country in Senegal." “But let me tell you one thing — Qataris are the most hospitable people you can find on earth,” said the former UN official, who is also of the Muslim faith. Frustration with the scrutiny on the first Arab host of the World Cup led at least two government ministers this week to suggest race as a motive. “Is such racism acceptable in Europe in the 21st century? Football belongs to everyone,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in an interview with French daily Le Monde published on Friday. Labour Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said this week that calls to create a compensation fund for migrant workers were a "publicity stunt,” and cited a Qatari-backed scheme that had paid tens of millions of dollars. FIFA and Qatari officials have long insisted hosting the World Cup accelerated the modernizing of labor laws which Samoura said on Friday was accepted as a model for regional neighbors to follow. About 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar during the tournament.

By Rashmi Goel