Qatar World Cup 2022: FIFA marks International Human Rights Day with anti-discrimination messages

Qatar World Cup 2022: The tournament's quarterfinals are underway. Meanwhile, FIFA has decided to mark International Human Rights Day by displaying and spreading anti-discrimination messages.

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The FIFA World Cup 2022 continues in Qatar, while its share of controversies keep coming, which have been a norm since the hosting rights were awarded to the nation over a decade ago. Speaking of controversies, the Gulf nation has been accused of severe violation of human rights, especially the labours involved in the construction of the stadiums, leading to many deaths. In the meantime, as the competition has entered the quarterfinals, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has decided to celebrate International Human Rights Day during this stage of the event and is doing so by displaying and spreading anti-discrimination messages.

In its release, FIFA declared, "Discrimination - in all its possible forms and expressions - is one of the most common forms of human rights violations and abuse. FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) will mark International Human Rights Day on Saturday, 10 December, by reinforcing the message that there is no place for discrimination of any kind, either in football or in society in general. During the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal matches on 9 and 10 December, the #NoDiscrimination message will feature on giant screens and LEDs in stadium and, as during the whole of the tournament, on the captains' armbands."

In a report from The Athletic, a Filipino man in his 40s lost his life while working at one of the venues during construction. When questioned, Nasser Al Khater (Qatar 2022 CEO) told BBC, "Death is a natural part of life, whether at work or in your sleep." Also, Fatma Samoura (FIFA's secretary general) informed Reuters, "We've already elaborated... about what we are doing in Qatar. We are talking about things we have already discussed for months and months, time and time again."