ECCSSC statement on Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
ECCSSC STANDS AGAINST ABUSES COMMITTED BY THOSE INVOLVED IN ELITE-LEVEL FOOTBALL IN THE PURSUIT OF PROFIT
With the mens World Cup in Qatar upon us, the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls Sports and Social Club feel the need to add our collective voice to the many others that are speaking out about what this tournament represents.
We believe passionately in football and sport in general as a force for good, and in its ability to catalyse change. It is why we exist as a club. However, there is no escaping the fact that football has long had its murkier side – from racism and violence in the stands to corruption and abuses of power reaching to the highest levels of the sport. Previous World Cups have had their fare share of controversy – many of our members remember Argentina 1978, Spain 1982, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 as examples.
Qatar 2022 seems to have taken this dark side to new levels, the most shocking being the deaths of possibly thousands of migrant workers brought in to build the infrastructure needed to host an event of this size in what is effectively a desert. That on top of a country with an appalling human rights record, especially on LGBTQ+, women’s and disabled rights, being awarded the right to profit from a sport which should be inclusive for all to enjoy.
In the face of such overwhelming corruption, exploitation, oppression and abuse we have to ask ourselves how we stand up effectively against it, and in solidarity with those affected. As a club, as individuals and our home the Plough Inn have done some soul searching as to whether to boycott watching the event is enough or indeed effective. The conclusion was that this should be an individual decision, and that as a club we will focus our efforts on raising awareness, funds and on adding our collective voice to calls for accountability, compensation and change.
As a club, we must also look at ways we can become more proactive rather than reactive on issues such as corruption, oppression, exploitation, racism and homophobia before they become big news. We must define a longer term strategy that means we keep standing up against these issues long after world cup fever has died down, and ask what similar abuses are going on in our own communities which may not be as high profile. We will always keep fighting.
In compassion, solidarity and power,
Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls Sports and Social Club (ECCSSC)
Bristol, UK
www.amnesty.org/en/petition/its-time-to-pay-up/
secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/make_fifa_pay_locked/
#notmyworldcup #fuckFIFA #makeFIFApay #boycottqatar2022
