Qatar World Cup has a strong Bangladesh connection: stadium construction, t-shirts

By Mashrur Siddique Bhuiyan*
The FIFA World Cup fever has unquestionably cut through the minds of mass people all over the world. Stadiums in Qatar are buzzing with football fans and athletes representing their countries at the “Greatest Show on Earth". The magic of the FIFA World Cup is so enormous that even being unable to participate does not matter much to the fans who support different nations. This is one of the highest viewed events in the world, with the 2018 event viewed by about 3.6 billion people worldwide. But this crowd is not aware of the contribution of migrant workers who helped build the very stadiums where the matches are playing in.
Qatar won the bid in 2010 to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, which got the oxymoron of celebration and controversy. This also created the potential for Qatar to Showcase its monumental economic achievements and unique culture on the global stage. The motto for Qatar’s bid team in 2010 was ‘Expect Amazing’ and migrant workers across the globe made it possible. Hosting this tournament has undoubtedly put Qatar under the global spotlight, overshadowing others’ contributions in some areas.
Bangladesh never qualified for the final stage of the World Cup qualification let alone play in one. No one can dare to say that there is a mere chance in the near future for Bangladesh to play in the World Cup finals. But the Qatar World Cup has a strong connection to Bangladesh- regarding the stadium’s construction, the t-shirts worn by officials, organizing the referees, and the field’s medical system.
After Qatar got selected as the host nation, the nation’s demand for labor skyrocketed in 2010. The country has experienced a large influx of Bangladeshi migrant workers, particularly in the construction sector. It is estimated that 4 lakh Bangladeshi workers joined the Qatari workforce between 2010 and 2022. Qatar has hired 12,344 workers from Bangladesh this year alone, compared to 11,158 amount last year. The fruits of their labor include hotels, Doha Metro, airports, and a brand-new city called Lusail. The labor minister of Qatar praised Bangladeshi workers and noted that Qatar’s market would be always open to Bangladesh.
In addition to the employees engaged in building the infrastructure to carry out this massive undertaking, many Bangladeshis have contributed to the beautification of the entire area. But working in Qatar is difficult due to the heat and it is difficult to breathe there. The Greatest Show on Earth couldn't have happened without the sacrifice of more than a thousand Bangladeshis. Many people did not receive fair pay or enough time off. Over 6,000 migrant workers perished following the commencement of the World Cup project, according to a Guardian investigation. There are 1,108 Bangladeshis among them.
Besides, the name Bangladesh is involved in Qatar World Cup in many ways. Bangladesh's textile sector directly contributes to this exciting occasion. The fact that Chittagong, Bangladesh produced 600,000 official t-shirts for the World Cup in Qatar is a source of pride. FIFA officials, referees, ball boys, and several spectators in the gallery will wear jerseys made in Bangladesh while working at a total of eight sites in five cities. These apparel items are produced in our nation and are visible to football enthusiasts everywhere. For various age groups, five different varieties of t-shirts are being produced. These unique clothes were made by the workers with the utmost compassion to preserve the country's good name.
Bangladeshis will also help to maintain the players' health during this major football competition. Ayesha Parveen, a female doctor from Bangladesh, will be the primary medical professional on the field for the World Cup match at 974 Stadium, one of the World Cup venues in Qatar. This doctor has prior experience serving as a doctor at the same location at the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021.
Bangladesh's name is also closely related to the World Cup's match referees. A son of Bangladesh, Mohammad Shawkat Ali will serve as the match's referee coordinator for the Greatest Show on Earth. He will oversee the work of 24 video match officials, 69 assistant referees, and 36 referees.
Volunteers at the World Cup in Qatar are called ‘The heart of the tournament. Where more than four hundred Bangladeshi volunteers are ready to represent Bangladesh as FIFA official volunteers. Even if there is no Bangladesh team, the people of the country are on the stage of the World Cup. They are performing the duties of volunteers in the FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East country of Qatar.
Currently, it is anticipated that over 1.5 million tourists from various nations will travel to Qatar. Driving will be at the forefront of Qatar's welcome football fans among the many service employees. Around 8,000 of them in this region work for taxi services and ride-hailing apps and are Bangladeshis. They received specialized instruction in culture, etiquette, and language.
The World Cup celebration in the middle of the desert is equated with the sweat and blood of foreign employees. To ensure the success of the tournament, thousands of professionals have relocated to Qatar in preparation for the World Cup. The Qatari government has already built a ‘flag plaza’ with 119 country flags due to its contribution to the development of infrastructure in Qatar and the construction of eight stadiums built for the World Cup. Qatar has rewarded the dignity of expatriate workers to honor their worth of them.
The universal enchantment of football, FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar began on November 20. Karim, a migrant worker from Bangladesh, had dreamed of watching World Cup matches from the rooftop of the hotel he had helped build. But after completing work, he had to return home. He says “our dreams never came true, but we were part of this World Cup”. And this contribution makes him proud, indeed all of us proud.
---
*Development worker and independent researcher, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Comments

The silencing of conscience: Ideological attacks on India’s judiciary and free thought

By Sunil Kumar* “Volunteers will pick up sticks to remove every obstacle that comes in the way of Sanatan and saints’ work.” — RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat (November 6, 2024, Chitrakoot) Eleven months later, on October 6, 2025, a man who threw a shoe inside the Supreme Court shouted, “India will not tolerate insults to Sanatan.” This incident was not an isolated act but a continuation of a pattern seen over the past decade—attacks on intellectuals, writers, activists, and journalists, sometimes in the name of institutions, sometimes by individual actors or organizations.

'Violation of Apex Court order': Delhi authorities blamed for dog-bite incidents at JLN Stadium

By A Representative People for Animals (PFA), led by Ms. Ambika Shukla, has held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) responsible for the recent dog-bite incidents at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, accusing it of violating Supreme Court directions regarding community dogs. The organisation’s on-ground fact-finding mission met stadium authorities and the two affected coaches to verify details surrounding the incidents, both of which occurred on October 3.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Citizens’ group to recall Justice Chagla’s alarm as India faces ‘undeclared' Emergency

By A Representative In a move likely to raise eyebrows among the powers-that-be, a voluntary organisation founded during the “dark days” of the Indira Gandhi -imposed Emergency has announced that it will hold a public conference in Ahmedabad to highlight what its office-bearers call today’s “undeclared Emergency.”

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

From seed to soil: How transnational control is endangering food sovereignty

By Bharat Dogra In recent decades, the world has witnessed a steady erosion of plant diversity in many countries, particularly those in the Global South that were once richly endowed with natural plant wealth. Much of this diversity has been removed from its original ecological and cultural contexts and transferred into gene banks concentrated in developed nations. While conservation of genetic resources is important, the problem arises when access to these collections becomes unequal, particularly when they fall under the control of transnational corporations.

Counterview

Search This Blog