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FIFA’s Calling
Giving Qatar the Red Card
SHAHRUKH KHAN
“When you work in Qatar you belong to someone.
You are not free. You are a slave.” - French-born Moroccan soccer player Abdeslam Ouaddou
D
uring Mr. Ouaddou’s time in Qatar, his
life was at the whim of its labor system.
He is only one of millions to have faced
an extremely difficult time during his
employment in the soccer industry. Before
arriving in Qatar, he played for renowned soccer clubs in
the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in
many countries including England, France, and Spain.
He also represented Morocco internationally in over 50
matches. When Qatari club Lekhwiya (owned by Qatar’s
then-Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani)
approached him, he was in a rather tight position and did
not have many other offers, so he accepted Lekhwiya’s
offer and moved to Qatar. He was successful with the
club. However, shortly thereafter, he was told to change
to another club (on the order of the Crown Prince), Qatar
Sports Club, even though he did not want to.
After moving to Qatar Sports Club, Mr. Ouaddou
50
SHAHRUKH KHAN is a staff writer for the
Harvard International Review.
did not experience the same success. When he returned
from a summer vacation in France, his salary was frozen.
After five months of humiliation and no salary, he took
his complaint to FIFA. He then asked for an exit visa from
his first club, which he was denied. He was told that it
would only be given to him if he rescinded his complaint
with FIFA. In response, he threatened to take action in a
human rights group and was eventually given his visa to
leave the country.
The emotion surrounding Qatar and its labor system
has risen greatly, especially in light of the upcoming 2022
FIFA World Cup. Qatar’s problem is three-fold: it is
caught up in a bidding controversy that is over three years
old, due to allegations against FIFA of unethical bidding
procedures. There are arguments, such as summertime
heat and lack of soccer culture, that work against Qatar as
H A R V A R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L R E V I E W • Summer 2014
Photo Courtesy Reuters