International Journal of Creative Research and Studies Volume-5 Issue-2, February 2021 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CREATIVE RESEARCH AND STUDIES www.ijcrs.org ISSN-0249-4655 PLAYING FAIR: THE ROLE OF FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE QATAR FIFA INDUSTRY Bobby Henerale, DALC 1,2, 3, Abad, Brian 1,2, 3, Borjal, Carl Patrick 1,2, 3, Cabrera, Elcid 1,2, 3, Facto, Jotham 1,2, 3, Rivera, Mark Angello 1,2, 3, Apolinario, Desire 1,2, 3, Avenido, Theone 1,2, 3, Sano, Maia Elise 1,2, 3, Ventura, Francesca 1,2, 3 1 Philippine School Doha, Doha, Qatar 2 Research Development, Accreditation and Publication Office, PSD, Doha, Qatar 3 Research Capstone Project, PSD, Doha, Qatar Abstract This study underscores the Filipino migrant workers who are part of The Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC). It also stresses as to how they utilize their skills, knowledge, and passion which are contributing factors to the development of the event (Qatar FIFA 2022). Meanwhile, a phenomenological qualitative research design was utilized to have an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of the Filipino workers in the field. Data were gathered through thirty-seven semi-structured interviews, recorded, and then transcribed to emic-etic, leading to the development of the themes. Findings showed that these workers not only view the company solely for football, but rather an organization that brought the youth together and promoted respect as well as unity among the different cultures. It was found out that the achievement of every worker was valued much. It was revealed also that there was eagerness among the workers to work hard and stay within the company despite the stress and deadlines correlates to the SC providing programs. And the organization behind this made sure that their employees were well rewarded. The contribution of the Filipino workers was deemed vital in the development and finalization of the FIFA World Cup. The collaboration as well as perseverance in their respective fields in the SC, and other workers of different nationalities allowed Qatar to be resilient amidst the Gulf Blockade. The independence of the nation’s economy was further strengthened by the help of expatriates who worked hard to keep this vision afloat. Thus, it is recommended that students of any age should learn to be versatile, and open to acquire new knowledge and information as to develop various skills and a wider understanding of different fields, and cultures. Keywords: Filipino migrant workers, Contribution, Qatar FIFA 2020, Qatar Blockade, Organization, Expatriates, Collaboration www.ijcrs.org Page | 27 International Journal of Creative Research and Studies ISSN-0249-4655 INTRODUCTION Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is a well-known football association that is known to be the highest governing body of football (FIFA ,2020). On the 2nd of December 2010, Qatar became the first Middle Eastern country to host the global event (A. Bhoyrul, 2010; Georgetown University, Qatar, 2021). Ever since the FIFA World Cup, Qatar has begun making changes and adding more accommodations, expanding its roads for them to be prepared for the upcoming FIFA 2022. One of those infrastructures is the Football Stadiums which is built and organized by the Qatar FIFA Industry. Meanwhile, the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) is an organization that prepares the country for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. FIFA’s vision is using the power of football to open the door to a world of an amazing experience. This means that they are going to help boost the economy of Qatar in the Future. The mission is to share Qatar’s culture through the FIFA World Cup. This means that they want to connect people and live in harmony. In this situation, SC to take charge of a big event will need a lot of workers. The Overseas Filipino Workers OFW have been spreading around the globe, finding an opportunity to seek a better living. Filipinos are known for their culture and values that is why they are highly demanded in blue and white- collar jobs. A lot of Filipino expatriates are now working in Qatar having an estimate of 222,000 making it the fifth most popular spot for OFWs (Joey Aguilar, 2016). This study revolves to the contributions of OFWs towards Qatar FIFA Industry and their benefits. METHODS A. Research Design This study used qualitative research. This is an empirical research which is drawn from verifiable data (Punch, 1998). This is an instrument to gather data for the betterment of understanding a specific problem and to promulgate a better analysis and encourages people to think critically into problems. Moreover, qualitative research interviews seek to describe and the meanings of the central themes in the life world of the subjects. The main task in interviewing is to understand and interpret the meaning of what the interviewee says (Kvale, 1996). To fully understand the recorded data, this study made use of a semi-structured type of interview. According to Semi- structured interviews allow the participants to explore issues they feel are important as the manner is more conversational (Clifford, Cope, Gillespie, & French, 2016). It is conducted with one person at a time and employs a blend of open-ended questions which is followed by follow-up how, or why questions to further discuss the topic. The interview is done by voice recording with the consent of the participant, this allowed the researchers to accurately interpret, and take note of the participant’s lived experiences. The results were transcribed from the recording according to how the researcher understood the answer, then they were given to the teacher for evaluation. The final transcriptions were done by paraphrasing and organizing through Emic and Etic to give way to an organized transcription of recorded data. To better understand the methods applied, this research made use of the phenomenological study; it is the study of the structures that affects the consciousness from the first-person point of view (Smith and Woodruff, 2018). It is where the qualitative approach focuses on the similar lived experiences of a group in a series of interviews (Creswell, 2013). www.ijcrs.org Page | 28 International Journal of Creative Research and Studies Volume-5 Issue-2, February 2021 Research Locus and Sample This research study was conducted at the school building of Philippine School Doha located at Al Messiah in the 2nd semester of school year 2019-2020. The researchers chose the locale mainly because of the resources that could be easily accessed in the facility. After the respondents had been interviewed, the researchers met up at the school to extract data and determined the themes for every answer. Workers from the FIFA industry have been selected to be the participants with the following criteria: (a) They work within and for the Qatar FIFA industry (b) the participant is a Filipino (c) The participants should have worked in Qatar for 2 or more years. The participants were interviewed privately through phone calls. The set up for the interview was thoroughly planned to make each recording clear and understandable. The interview was done this way due to the participants’ busy schedules, and location. A total of four participants were interviewed for this study, each varied in degree and specialization. B. Data Collection and Ethical Consideration In the study, the researchers conducted a semi-structured interview. According to Doyle (2018), is an interview that does not necessarily need to follow a list of questions. They used an interview guide, to successfully gather the needed data and information. Prior to the interview, the researchers prepared a guide questionnaire to guide them on the topics or questions to be asked and discussed on that interview process. The guide questions composed of 25 questions that answered the reason for OFW working in the Qatar FIFA industry. The researchers asked the participants for their time and experiences for the development of the study. It is guaranteed that their information is within good hands. The researchers made sure that the confidentiality was executed completely in terms of the respondent’s information and the data they have allocated. This is required so that the researchers will not give out any information to others about the respondent’s identity, background information, and the data they have provided. C. Data Analysis After gathering all data, the researchers then need to analyze and understand it. Since they constructed an interview with the voice recordings as their data, they transcribed all the answers of the respondents meticulously. After www.ijcrs.org Page | 29 International Journal of Creative Research and Studies ISSN-0249-4655 transcribing, the researchers then proceeded to the processing of emic and etic responses. They translated the answers of the respondents in a much simpler way or in a way that the researchers understood the answers. After this process, the researchers then recorded a warm analysis where they grouped all the similar answers in a particular question and themed all the similar answers. The themes formulated by the researchers were: (1) Personal Developments, (2) Collaboration, and (3) Sovereignty. After formulating these themes, the researchers were able to form the dendrogram which was found from their warm analysis. After the researchers formed a thought unit from the themes that were formed, it led them to the simulacrum. FINDINGS Figure 2: Qatar in the FIFA Industry This phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of Filipino migrant workers within the Qatar FIFA industry relative to the central question. “What are the significant roles of Filipino workers in attaining the victory of Qatar FIFA industry?”. Figure 2 presents the simulacrum centered on three major themes: Collaboration, Sovereignty, and Personal Development, with three corresponding sub themes under each topic.