BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE WORLD CUP

Anne Perez

On December 18th, 2022, after 29 days and 64 matches, the Argentinian team was crowned the winners of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This prestigious football tournament is considered the most watched sports event in the world; people have been attending the matches since the 1930’s to support their countries and celebrate their victories or mourn their losses. The outcries of the people filled with happiness, anger, disappointment, or fulfillment overtook the Lusail Stadium, as more than 88,966 people attended to support France. Unfortunately, with such popular events and tournaments, the disadvantages and faults are often overshadowed.

In particular, there has been an increase in migrant labor in Qatar which has led many workers to die when working on the infrastructure of the stadiums in the World Cup. Statistically, 88% of Qatar’s population are foreigners, in which a million are working in construction. Rontha Begum, a senior researcher at the Human Rights Watch, stated “Migrant workers from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and other South Asian countries worked diligently to make sure that the World Cup’s infrastructure and construction were perfect, despite the injuries and inexplicable deaths.” In preparation, the country made eight new stadiums. According to a Guardian analysis, more than 6,500 people have died since ten years ago, when the country was given the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

Technically, the death records do not state specific causes, but according to Nick McGeehan, a director at FairSquare Projects, it is more than likely that most workers died working on the infrastructure of the tournament. Despite not having concrete evidence, there are stories of workers who were paid for their job, but were found dead at the scene. For example, Ghal Sing Rai, a cleaner in one of the numerous camps, originally from Nepal, was found dead within a week of arriving at a camp designated for workers building the Education City World Cup Stadium. In most cases, the victim dies of “natural causes” but, after further inspection in 2019, investigators have found that the intense summer heat is another very likely factor in their deaths. The UN’s International Labour Organization revealed that “for at least four months of the year workers faced significant heat stress” when working outside. Qatar’s government has stated that these deaths are proportional to the migrant force demographic; however, every death present is a tragedy.

On the other hand, because of the high demand of workers to fill the expectations of the event, new jobs are surfacing. Qatar has recently built a metro line and an airport. Consequently, an added richness has surfaced in the economy and employed many people in need of jobs. Financially, the benefits are very admirable. As stated by an analyst at S&P Global, “We anticipate an acceleration in GDP growth this year as non-hydrocarbon sectors such as tourism, transport, and construction benefit from Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup, which is expected to bring in about 1.2 million tourists.” In this case, Qatar will undergo a hasty increase in GDP due to areas such as tourism, transport, and construction. In addition to the 765,000 visitors that have arrived to watch the games, the UAE has reported an increase in residents as many decided to stay in the country rather than in the city. Financially, the World Cup has also increased the amount of small businesses in the city due to an increase in people, which has in general boosted the economy in just a couple weeks.

In conclusion, the FIFA World Cup is an event that many would agree deserves all its glory as it is a legendary event that is able to captivate its audience and bring out each country's passion and hard work. Nevertheless, the disadvantages should not be overshadowed or disregarded as they should be recognized and talked about. The tragic and unnecessary deaths of the migrant laborers should be recognized. It is important moving forward for host countries to establish transparency with the audience as we can not afford to sacrifice the lives of others at the expense of our entertainment.