We must not forget the price that was paid for this World Cup

Editorial: We should watch the games and enjoy the spectacle but remember that our entertainment has come at a cost

It was hoped that the international focus on Qatar would help drive reform (AP)

The joy of football is complicated this time. Not just because the World Cup is happening in the wrong season, but because it is being staged in the wrong place.

We have known that ever since the decision to award the tournament to Qatar was taken, but what is significant is that the human rights groups that have protested against the Qatari government’s abuses have never called for a boycott. They hoped that the international attention paid to Qatar would help drive reform.

So it has, to an extent more limited than The Independent would have wished. As David Harding, our international editor, writes, changes have been announced – but they have not necessarily been enforced.

The Qatari government claims to have reformed the system of kafala, or sponsorship, that meant workers could not leave their jobs or the country without the permission of their employers. It has brought in a minimum wage, and wage protection laws intended to ensure that workers receive their pay. But this cannot alter the facts that the infrastructure for this World Cup has been built by indentured labour, and that many of the workers imported to Doha have died as a result of poor safety and oppressive conditions.

As Miguel Delaney, our chief football writer, says in his preview of the competition, “many people measure their lives in World Cups. This World Cup can instead be measured in lives.” He argues that it was better to use the competition as a chance to raise awareness of the exploitation of migrant workers, not just in Qatar but across the Middle East, than to boycott the event.

He is right, too, to express some sympathy for the players, who have attracted some criticism for decisions in which they had no part – although it is also true that some of the players have not helped themselves.

Our view is that a World Cup in a Gulf petrostate is also an opportunity to put pressure on governments across the Middle East to do more to prevent climate change, and to promote democracy and human rights more generally, including those of LGBT+ people. Just because those efforts have fallen short of the ideal outcome does not mean that they were not worthwhile.

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Indeed, The Independent’s view generally is that international sport is a valuable way of promoting dialogue between nations and understanding among peoples. Although there are times when boycotts are justified, it is usually better to take part and to exchange views. Thus the participation of Iran is to be welcomed if it leads to more understanding among Iranians of the support of the global community for democracy and human rights in their country.

So it is right that football supporters – including “church at Christmas” supporters, who are interested in the game mainly during big international competitions – should watch the games and enjoy the spectacle, but they should remember the price that some people have paid for their entertainment.

Enjoy the World Cup but lend your support to campaigns to promote democracy and human rights in all nations, and pledge to maintain that support when the spotlight, now shining on Qatar and forcing some not entirely cosmetic reforms, has moved on.