IS A GLOBAL GAME; IT TRANSCENDS COUNTRIES, RELIGIONS, GENDER AND POLITICS. THIS GLOBAL REACH MEANS FOOTBALL CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON ISSUES THAT AFFECT SOCIETY AND COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD. AT THE SAME TIME, GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ISSUES ALSO AFFECT FOOTBALL ITSELF AND PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS LIKE YOU DURING YOUR CAREER.

Your voice is essential to the development, governance and impact of our sport. As FIFPRO, we encourage all players to express themselves freely and we work to support and protect you along the way.

PLAYER BRIEFING: This briefing provides independent information to support your desire to better understand the broader communities that you encounter FIFA WORLD CUP during your career and to embrace an active role on matters that go beyond our sport and QATAR 2022 into society. We recognise that many of you are concerned about the state of human rights in Qatar and, as a result are facing personal questions regarding participation in official training camps and A MESSAGE matches. We created this Player Briefing with independent and objective information to support you and your teammates in this situation.

In line with global trade union bodies and human rights organisations such as the Building and FROM FIFPRO Wood Worker’s International (BWI) and Amnesty International, we believe that the FIFA World Cup offers an opportunity to draw the attention of the international community to the human rights issues in Qatar. This is crucial to push for the work required to ensure substantial and lasting change in the country. “WE ENCOURAGE ALL PLAYERS The positive legacy of the FIFA World Cup will heavily rely on continuous pressure to successfully TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES FREELY implement, enforce and monitor new reforms across the country prior to, during and –most importantly– beyond the hosting of the World Cup. For this reason, we also do not consider it AND WE WORK TO SUPPORT YOU beneficial to call for a boycott that would harm first and foremost the migrant workers in Qatar ALONG THE WAY” while not creating substantial and lasting change on the ground.

Football and specifically the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 can be powerful catalysts for tangible change as long as football associations, competition organisers, governments and civil society organisations live up to their respective responsibilities to ensure safe environments to work, play and enjoy our sport.

An unquestionable and universal commitment to human rights by the football industry is essential to ensure a sustainable environment for all – both on and off the football pitch.

Interested players are encouraged to reach out to FIFPRO at gpc@.org or your national players’ association for additional information and player support. If you wish to play an active role on these issues you can also contact your local Amnesty International office FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

The state of human rights in Qatar is of great concern internationally. These issues have come to the fore since 2010 when FIFA awarded Qatar the right to host the tournament. The country’s 2 million migrant workers – who make up 95% of the country’s workforce - are essential to the World Cup in Qatar. From building stadiums and roads, to working in the transport sector or hospitality, migrant workers will be crucial to the World Cup experience for players and fans alike.

After years of inaction by the government, following great international pressure and a political crisis in the Gulf region, Qatar committed in 2017 to improving its labour system.

This has led to some important reforms in recent years. But so far these changes have not yet been implemented properly, meaning QATAR structural discrimination and human rights violations persist. Much work remains to be done and real positive outcomes across the human rights issues in Qatar will heavily rely on the joint, continuous and successful implementation of reforms as well as monitoring mechanisms across the country that continue beyond the hosting of the tournament.

Beyond workers’ rights, there are a number of other serious human rights concerns that persist in the country and that also need to be addressed to guarantee a truly inclusive FIFA World Cup for players COUNTRY INFORMATION Population: 2.6 million (12% Qatari, 88% Foreigners) and their families as well as fans and workers. Below is a list of the main concerns raised internationally and links to get informed. Official language: Arabic (English widely spoken) Ethnic groups: 40% Arab, 18% Pakistani, 18% Indian, 10% Iranian, 14% other To learn more: Amnesty International - Reality Check Report Professional Football Players Association: Qatar Players Association MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS Qatar is highly dependent on migrant workers to help grow its economy - yet workers are subject to widespread abuse and exploitation. Despite the positive recent reforms, local laws continue to reinforce the existent imbalance of power To learn more: Amnesty International and between workers and their employers, who can easily abuse their position. Many workers have not yet benefited from International Labour Organization the changes, and still work and live in very difficult conditions, face delayed or unpaid wages and struggle to access justice when their rights have been abused. Migrant workers are also not allowed to form or join trade unions and so cannot collectively fight for their rights.

WORLD CUP PROJECTS Around 2% of migrant workers in Qatar have been working on World Cup stadiums. Since 2014, these workers have To learn more about the workers’ conditions: benefited from stronger labour standards than the rest of thecountry, meaning they are better protected from abuse Amnesty International - World Cup Stadiums, and exploitation at work. Occupational health and safety conditions have also improved considerably on World Cup BWI - Stadium inspections, BWI Audit of Metro stadiums in recent years, with joint inspections on the stadiums run by the organisers and Building and Wood Worker’s Project, Workers Committees and IHRB - International (BWI). Nonetheless, much progress is still required to successfully improve the working conditions of all Interview on Workers’ Voices migrant workers in Qatar. If the World Cup is to leave a positive legacy, all workers need to benefit from the reforms.

THE KAFALA SYSTEM AND LABOUR REFORMS The “kafala (sponsorship) system” is enforced across all Arab Gulf countries. According to the kafala system, foreign workers must have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status. This To learn more: ILO – 2021 Labour Reforms and results in widespread abuse and exploitation. Since 2017, Qatar became the first country in the region to take major ILO – 2020 Changes in the labour market, steps to reform kafala and its labour system, and as of 2021 workers are able to change jobs and leave the country Human Rights Watch – Labour Reforms and ILO without their employers’ permission. The reforms also include the introduction of non-discriminatory minimum wage – Dismantling Kafala and the obligation for an employer to pay for or provide food and housing to workers.

While positive and far-reaching, and with the potential to transform workers’ lives, the labour reforms remain insufficient and not fully implemented across the country. Migrant workers’ legal status continues to be tied to employers, broader structural discrimination against the migrant labour force persists, and exploitation continues, often unpunished.

For the reforms to lead to real change for workers, they must be properly implemented and enforced, and this requires and relies on further support, proper training and effective monitoring beyond the FIFA World Cup. Moreover, much progress is required on the rights of workers to organise and bargain. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSOCIATION Qatar has a host of repressive laws limiting the freedom of expression and association which are in breach of international To learn more: Human Rights Watch, HRW - human rights law. Punishable crimes include criticizing the emir, insulting Qatar’s flag, defaming religion and inciting to Free speech and Amnesty International overthrow the regime. Spreading “false news” or content that “violates social values” constitute a crime and can lead to imprisonment. Furthermore, there are no independent local human rights organisations or civil society groups in Qatar due to the existing restrictions.

MORALITY LAWS Qatar’s penal code criminalizes sodomy and punishes same-sex relations with imprisonment. Sex outside of marriage (zina) is a crime punishable with prison while Muslims can be sentenced to flogging or the death penalty for the same crime. It is To learn more: Human Rights Watch Qatar important to note that these laws disproportionately impact women, and women who report rape can find themselves prosecuted for consensual sex.

LGBTQI+ RIGHTS Qatari laws heavily discriminate against LGBTQI+ individuals. A range of same-sex consensual sexual acts are criminalized and Qatari laws punish with imprisonment anyone who “leads or induces or tempts a male into committing an act of sodomy” To learn more: Amnesty International Qatar or “acts contrary to morals.” Qatar agreed to permit LGBTQI+ flags during the World Cup but concerns persist regarding the conditions for the local LGBTQI+ community as well as travelling fans and families prior to and/or after the tournament.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS The concept of male guardianship in Qatari law heavily undermines women’s right to make autonomous decisions and it severely limits their ability to live full independent lives. Qatari women must obtain permission from their male guardians to To learn more: Human Rights Watch – Male exercise many of their basic rights, including in marriage, education and work. Furthermore, women cannot be primary guardianship and HRW - 2021 Report guardians of their own children and if a child has no male relative, the government takes up the role of main guardian. The legal requirement for women to obey male guardians fuels discrimination and can foster domestic violence while at the same time leaving Qatari women very few viable options to escape abuse and exercise their human rights.

THE ROLE OF FIFA FIFA has a responsibility under international standards to make sure that human rights are respected in the delivery of its tournaments. FIFA has taken positive steps to integrate human rights across its operations, including by establishing a To learn more: FIFA Advisory Board - Report Human Rights Policy and an independent Human Rights Advisory Board for a four year mandate (2017-2021) to support this and Amnesty International - Letter to FIFA effort. The World Cup offers an opportunity for lasting human rights change in Qatar. But the ongoing abuses show that for this to happen, FIFA also has much more work to do to ensure that its policies are implemented effectively and human rights are respected throughout tournament delivery. SUSTAINABILITY & LEGACY

Sustainability is an urgent global priority and mega-event organisers are not exempt from the call for more strict sustainable practices. Sustainability is measured across social, economic and To learn more: ISO 20121, BWI environmental parameters and only a holistic approach can give optimal results. Major sport and ECEPAA competitions can be a catalyst for all of the above as long as a transparent and accountable sustainability agenda drives tangible impact.

Qatar committed to delivering the most sustainable FIFA World Cup so far, but the sustainability and legacy of the event relies on a successful and continuous impact across social, economic and environmental standards. The sustainability goals must serve the people and the communities in Qatar beyond the hosting of FIFA tournaments.

ABOUT FIFPRO

FIFPRO represents the collective international voice of the world’s professional footballers and over 65 national player unions. We work every day on behalf of more than 65,000 players, both men and women, spread across our affiliated national player associations.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLE ON THE ISSUES ADDRESSED IN THIS BRIEFING OR REQUIRE

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