Football the key to disarming Qatar’s most dangerous weapons

Perhaps the third certainty in life is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar failing to be run smoothly.

Since that controversial day in 2010 when the emirate was awarded hosting rights, it has been followed by a series of unflattering controversies.

Prominent is the climate debate, but the most significant talking point is the issue of human rights.

Human rights abuse is a far-reaching problem and one ingrained into Qatar’s working culture. Of course, such problems have existed for many decades, but only now that the Western world has been alerted to the big picture are people beginning to fight for change.

Qatar 2022 could be a blessing in disguise for the thousands of local workers struggling in silence.

That has certainly been the case for former professional footballers Abdeslam Ouaddou and Zahir Belounis, who have developed a close friendship in the most unfortunate circumstances – oppression at the hands of their employers in Qatar.

Morocco international and ex-Fulham, Olympiakos and Nancy defender Ouaddou witnessed first-hand the perils of Qatar’s flawed Kafala system.

The Kafala requires foreign workers to be sponsored by an employer, giving said employer an oft-dangerous level of control.

In Ouaddou’s case, the terms of his contract meant he couldn’t make any significant purchase or leave the country for any reason without his club’s permission.

When he first signed for Lekhwiya Sports Club, things seemed rosy. A title in his debut season and receiving the captain’s armband presented a facade of positivity.

But the kafala’s dark nature was made evident when Ouaddou was loaned out to Qatar Sports Club without his consent. Being sent away after leading Lekwhiya to the title was strange enough in itself, but the treatment he received from his new club trumped that move.

Playing Champions League football had been replaced by the most difficult moment of his career when QSC forced him to train twice a day in scorching 50-degree heat, ceased his salary for three months and even stopped paying for the apartment he lived in with his wife and two small children. It was all in a thinly veiled attempt to push him out of the country.

“It was so difficult, because the (tenant) came in the morning very early at six or seven o’clock and knocked on the door to tell me to get out of his house because the rent has not been paid,” Ouaddou said. “I was feeling shamed in front of my children and in front of my wife.

“I was lucky, because before I went to Qatar I had quite a nice career because I played at Fulham, I played in Olympiakos, so I had money to pay for school for my children and to feed them during this period, but it was difficult.

“I am still owed one year’s salary from them. If they treat athletes like that, you can imagine how they treat workers and domestic workers.”

On February 12 this year, Ouaddou tasted a small dose of justice. FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber settled the court case in his favour, ordering the Qatar Sports Club to pay Abdeslam what he was owed. But for the Moroccan, money was not the sole motive behind his crusade.

“It took one year and a half. I won the case, but for me it was not about the money, it was about the principle. It was about sport values. I have been fighting for my rights for one year and a half about sport values, about human beings and about principle.

“I am very satisfied about this decision and it shows to Qatari clubs that you cannot do what you want, you have to respect contracts. And this decision showed them they cannot be against the law. It shows as well that money cannot buy everything and there are some laws and rules that they have to respect.”

Unfortunately for Ouaddou, the arduous process has not reached its conclusion, with QSC preparing to appeal the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). But precedents and Qatar’s desire to protect the country’s image ahead of the 2022 World Cup are expected to make the appeal redundant.

Ouaddou has emerged from the scandal a stronger man, focusing all of his energy on pushing for reform in Qatar. Ignoring recommendations to sweep the whole incident under the carpet, he set about exposing what he describes as clear “injustice”.

It’s not been a lone fight. As well as a growing contingent of footballers victimised by the kafala system and its controllers, Ouaddou’s argument has been propelled forward by leading humanity organisation Amnesty International and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The ITUC has spearheaded a campaign to ‘re-run the vote’, urging supporters to “tell FIFA to choose a World Cup venue where workers’ rights are respected”.

General Secretary of the ITUC, Sharan Burrow, says FIFA must be held accountable on their promise to use the World Cup to instigate positive change in Qatar.

“There should be no World Cup in Qatar without workers’ rights,” she said. “FIFA has said it expects international norms of behaviour from all hosts and expects that the FIFA World Cup can trigger positive social change in Qatar, including improving the labour rights and conditions of migrant workers.

“On 21 November 2013, FIFA called on ‘economic and political leaders to join the football community in contributing to ensure that the International Labour Organisation’s core labour standards are introduced quickly, consistently and on a sustained basis in Qatar’. We will hold them to this.”

While the campaign may be in vain, with FIFA seemingly determined to revolve the tournament around Qatar, it was given greater weight by FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s recent admission that awarding the gulf nation hosting rights was a “mistake”. “Yes, it was a mistake of course, but one makes lots of mistakes in life,” he was reportedly quoted as saying in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS.

More bemusing than Blatter’s comments, though, was the reason he offered up, claiming the summer temperature was the reason behind FIFA’s error in judgement, not the death of hundreds of workers.

Over the weekend, the UK’s Sunday Times released an in-depth report providing evidence of widespread corruption in the voting process for the 2022 World Cup, particularly singling out former Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam, who has been accused of making payments of up to $US5 million to FIFA officials in exchange for their support of Qatar.

The media fight is gaining momentum as the list of misdemeanours continues. But more important to most than seeing Qatar yield hosting rights is to see permanent change on the ground.

While players like Ouaddou have suffered great hardship on the field, they realise the plight of blue-collar workers is much harsher.

In an episode of ESPN’s E:60 program on the state of Qatar, General Secretary Sharan Burrows revealed the ITUC estimates as many as 4000 construction workers will have died on the job before a ball is kicked at Qatar 2022 unless there is a dramatic change in working conditions.

Change may be promised, but having witnessed tragedies first hand, Ouaddou fears it is just a front.

“We saw a new report from the Qatar authorities that they will respect the workers and they will put them in good conditions but we didn’t say to decorate the rooms and to put very nice rooms and TVs for the workers,” he added. “That’s only decorating the rooms, but the main problem doesn’t change and the main problem is the kafala system.

“If they put new rooms and new buildings for the workers, the main problem will not change… the sponsors will continue to abuse the workers’ rights.”

On Thursday May 15, Qatar pledged to abolish the kafala system, with Colonel Abdullah Saqr al-Mohannadi, human rights director of the Qatari Interior Ministry, claiming “it will be replaced by a contractual relationship between employer and employee”.

In essence, the main benefits of an amended system will be the reduced power of employers to control whether workers can leave the country and possible sanctions against employers who fail to fulfil agreements.

But the ITUC fears this is all smoke and mirrors. Of course, there will be no authority over minimum working conditions, with employers still able to set the parameters of a contract.

“The changes are designed to make it easier for employers to find migrant workers, but the announcement fails to address the multiple violations of international labour standards found by the International Labour Organisation in March,” Burrows said in a statement following the announcement.

“Qatar’s notorious exit visas will remain in place, with the Interior Ministry now deciding who can leave the country. There is no indication on the fate of employees of government bodies who are being kept in Qatar against their will.

“There is no freedom of association, no minimum wage, and no effective labour compliance system. None of the laws seem to apply to domestic workers. No moves were announced to stop the death and injury toll amongst the migrant workforce.”

What has been described as merely “cosmetic reform” should be enough of a catalyst for foreign footballers and their managers to approach deals in Qatar with immense caution.

Traditionally, it’s been smooth sailing for Australians that have played in the Qatar Stars League. Sydney FC defender Sasa Ognenovski was among the most notable, having spent two seasons with Umm-Salal.

The former Socceroo expects the World Cup to change the footballing landscape in Qatar, but admits the cases of Ouaddou and Belounis have given the country’s clubs a poor reputation.

“Some of the players did have problems, they were the ones that had difficulties with the clubs and if you allow yourself to get into those situations, it can be quite nasty,” Ognenovski said.

“I can’t say anything bad about the people at the club and the people I played with, they were all fantastic.

“A lot has changed now because of the World Cup, they can’t afford to have any scandals or the bad media, so they are working towards getting to a better level of professionalism on that side of things.

“When you start hearing stories like (Ouaddou’s), it puts doubt in your mind whether you want to go there and play. So they’re not going to get the players they would’ve attracted before (unless it’s fixed), even if you throw the dollars at them.”

The world of football has been presented with a prime opportunity to help change the face of human rights in Qatar through the 2022 World Cup.

The task now lies with the powers that be to gaze through the smokescreen and win a fight that shouldn’t need to be fought in the 21st century.