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THE WORLD HAS watched as controversy engulfs the governing body of soccer.
On 27 May, nine Fifa officials (together with five corporate executives) were taken into custody from a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland over allegations of corruption, specifically the receipt of enormous bribes totalling $100 million (€92 million).
On 2 June, Sepp Blatter – who was not arrested – announced he was going to step down as president of Fifa, having been in the role since 1998. The news came just days after he was re-elected for a fifth term.
Former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has threatened to implicate Blatter and several others.
All of this has cast the spotlight back onto Qatar – which won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup – in controversial circumstances in 2010.
The country has a questionable human rights record and its ‘kafala’ labour law has been harshly criticised.
During the week, the Washington Post released a stark graphic highlighting the number of migrant workers who have died in Qatar in recent years.
Washington Post / TwitterThe human toll of FIFA’s corruption http://t.co/7r4SRZVtUQ pic.twitter.com/pjA9PwD63R
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 30, 2015
An estimated 1,200 migrant workers have died since Qatar was awarded the competition in 2010, according to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
The Qatari government completely refuted the Washington Post’s report, saying no workers whatsoever have died in relation to the build.
After almost five million work-hours on World Cup construction sites, not a single worker’s life has been lost. Not one.
“In preparing its report, it appears that the Post simply took the total annual mortality figures for Indian and Nepalese migrants working in Qatar and multiplied those numbers by the years remaining between now and the 2022 World Cup – a calculation which assumes that the death of every migrant worker in Qatar is work related.”
A Qatar-commissioned report into worker conditions claimed close to 1,000 migrant workers died in 2012 and 2013, although none died while at work.
Human Rights violations
Shane Darcy of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway is keeping a watchful eye as proceedings unfold. “It’s fascinating,” he said, noting the Fifa arrests have been “a long time coming”.
Darcy said it’s “frustrating” that human rights violations related to the World Cup bid in Qatar have been repeatedly overlooked.
However, he said it’s “heartening” that Fifa is finally being taken to task over the alleged corruption in the organisation.
The reason Fifa is being investigated is because of corruption charges and money laundering. They’re not being taken to task for human rights abuses. Corruption can be related to that, but that’s not the reason [US and Swiss authorities] are doing this.
Darcy said he “quite frankly wouldn’t be surprised” if the investigation found that bribes exchanged hands when awarding World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
He said another positive offshoot of the controversy is that it has got people talking and thinking about what goes on behind the scenes when preparing for a World Cup.
“Most soccer fans now know about the situation in Qatar,” Darcy noted.
He said it’s “hard to say if they’ll move the World Cup from Qatar” as it might not be “feasible” due to the huge amount of financial investment in the project.
During the week, England said it was ready to take over as host of the tournament in 2022 if needs be.
I don’t know if that’s feasible. There has been a huge amount of investment in Qatar – legally and maybe illegally.
An obvious consequence of the World Cup being moved from Qatar would be that thousands of migrant workers would lose their jobs. Many work and live in poor conditions.
BBC journalists reporting on this issue were arrested last month.
Last year human rights lawyer Orna Joyce told TheJournal.ie the living conditions for many of the workers are “absolutely horrific“.
You could have anything up to 15-20 people living in a tiny room. They’re expected to cook in that room as well … There have been reports of open sewers, right outside the dormitory places that they’re living in.
She was also very critical of the country’s ‘kafala’ labour system, which she said could lead to the exploitation and essential slavery of some workers.
Darcy noted that Qatari officials have promised to reform the kafala system, but no real change has occurred.
This might only be brought about if major international sponsors – such as Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Adidas, Visa and Busweiser – remove their support.
Darcy noted that such sponsors have been “hesitant to fully remove themselves” but said: “The corruption thing might push them more than the human rights thing.”
Another pointless flight on a government jet.
@v39e84kK: It’s not a pointless flight you absolute whinger. They were invited by Ukraine to visit. Every foreign dignitary that visits is a show of solidarity. To refuse the invitation would be worse.
@Seán Ó Briain: No it wouldn’t, what effect would it tangibly have? This meeting served no purpose. Ireland is already helping Ukraine and will continue to do so. This achieved nothing but wasted money and you know that.
@v39e84kK: You can imagine it now Putin on the loudspeaker in the Donbas region “the west is with us comrades! the Taoiseach came! the Tanaiste! 8 other Irish politicians! But….the Ceann Comhairle did not! onwards to protracted conflict!”
@v39e84kK: why don’t you lot ever relax and try and understand why Ireland does what we do and why we should do it.
@Paul Furey: “you lot”? Who is that exactly?
@v39e84kK: awww somebody sad they didn’t get to go on the govt jet ..? :(
@Ciaran: Yeah, that’s it Ciaran. You are a great detective. Honestly the amount of people who don’t care how the government spends their time and money is amazing.
@v39e84kK: eh Dominic Ukraine asked him to visit, how about you let the Ukrainians decide what they think is useful cause I’ve a feeling they might have a better sense of usefulness 8n their country then you do. The whinging on here is limitless sometimes
@v39e84kK: government officials need to travel abroad for diplomatic Missions. Have a day off will ya
@Sean Minihane: no they don’t. This is at least the fifth Irish politician to visit Kyiv. It’s pointless.
@v39e84kK: the whingers like you who complain about everything
Also, the EU is an economic union. I have no ill-will to that nation but why on earth are people championing that a country in absolute ruin after a war be let into an economic union of trade and free movement? That’s insanity for everyone except Ukraine, and probably not so good for them either if it does a brain-drain on the kinds of people they need to rebuild their nation.
@v39e84kK: if You were A Ukrainian would You make them comments We Have to Support Our Fellow Europeans against A Dictator
@pat seery: What does that have to do with EU membership? Oh, nothing. I see.
@v39e84kK: “…why on earth are people championing that a country in absolute ruin after a war be let into an economic union of trade and free movement?” Maybe because it would be the right thing to do?
@Earth Traveller: No. But you are entitled to your opinion. Shall we add Nigeria, Congo, Rwanda into a free trade and free movement union too? Turkey is too corrupt for the EU but Ukraine after a war is a good member state? No. It’s not. Ukraine is very corrupt, that’s well documented. Educate yourself. The place had a coup less than a decade ago essentially.
@v39e84kK: you clearly know nothing about Ukraine then do u. Economically it is a very string country
@Peter Roche: is it yeah? So how was it’s EU application going in the 20+ since it became a sovereign state? Oh it wasnt. Will it be economically strong after the war? No.
I really don’t know how Volodymyr Zelenskyy keeps going. He must be physically and mentally exhausted.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: no worries for that, US keeps sending good stuff. He is skiing every day the white powder in his office ! The best is when he is at the office on Saturday night for his TikTok party ! This is priceless..
Yemen, Syria, Libya and Palestine next.. Nah don’t thinks..
Big unit.
I hope Zelinsky asks him why we haven’t kicked out the Russian ambassador and his cadre of staff.
Most people who live here would like to see them booted out.
@Davey Ohanlon: nope because, what does that achieve for the Irish in Russia, we should be at the front of peace talks instead of in the line throw milltary aid into this mess
@Ken Red: What makes you think we would have any say in peace talks?
@Ken Red:
That’s assuming Putin wants peace and it’s also assuming that the Ukrainians and others are willing to forgo war crimes charges against Putin and his army.
Do you honestly think Putin would settle for peace without coming away without any land gains?…not a hope in hell.
The sanctions, asset seizures of his pals, loss of Russian soldiers lives, their economy, their military proven to be inept and vulnerable to western weapons.
He literally can’t afford to strike a peace deal and come away with nothing.
A peace deal with Putin will basically be a form of appeasment and no deterrent not to do the same again.
Game of Thrones expo photo Op.
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