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While it seems odd to pair those two issues in one post considering the severity difference between both, the ban on alcohol and the death of migrant workers while working on the construction of the World Cup do match thematically as we will see throughout this post. Both also serve as signs of a more global problem.

Alcohol Banning

This was made to be a bigger issue than it should have been really, one part is silly and one part is not only justified, but it speaks volumes to the harsh reality many pretend doesn't exist.

The Right To Drink Alcohol

Many people cited Qatar's unwillingness to let supporters have alcohol in stadiums as a fundamental wrong and a sign that the country isn't ready to host an international tournament. But, the fact is, drinking alcohol at stadiums isn't a right or a tradition in most of the world. There are European countries that ban alcohol in stadiums, because, guess what, it had played role in people's deaths.

People talk as if drinking alcohol is part of the essentials of watching football, but it is not. For most people it never was and I honestly believe the people who cried about having it in stadiums should confront the alcoholism that's depriving them of enjoying watching sports without consuming alcohol.

The other obvious reason is that alcohol leads to many bad things happening, I am not talking about just deaths, but fights, brawls, sexual harassment, verbal harassment and abuse, and there have been even cases of suicide as well. It's a no-brainer to ban alcohol in a country that already has very specific areas for drinking and very specific rules for buying alcohol which includes obtaining a license to buy alcohol.

The first reason is simple, it's the second one that's problematic.

Rules For Thee And Not For Me

Obviously, the news is out that the VIP sections of stadiums all had alcohol available in them. That's an obvious hypocrisy. There's an argument that they're fewer people, therefore, are less likely to cause problems which was the cause, but that's neither here nor there.

The fact is rich people had special treatment that all of us mortals don't get, surprise! The rich and powerful have special rules for them. The people are right to be angry at this hypocrisy from rich people and government officials, but again, are we really surprised?

How many government officials shut down gatherings, nightclubs, and any social places with more than a few people only to then turn around and attend parties and gatherings? How many enforced masks on people then turned around and not worn them when they weren't in front of the camera? People have a right to be mad at this, but again, is it really a Qatar-exclusive problem?

This leads us to the big topic of discussion

Migrant Workers' Deaths

The guardian has dropped a report of over 6500 thousand workers while working on World Cup-related projects. Many fact-checkers were quick to call out that report as it just counted all the deaths of migrants living in Qatar. On the other hand, Hassan Al Thawadi, who is basically Mr World Cup himself in Qatar, said that the deaths were 3 work-related and 37 non-work-related. The difference between both figures couldn't be bigger.

Now, let's say Al Thawadi is playing the numbers and assume it's higher, let's even say it's much higher than the average work-related deaths in such huge projects. Let's just keep that in mind and come back to it later.

Another issue is the living state of such workers. Starting with the low payment first, the workers' accommodation which you could see in Gary Neville’s Countdown to Qatar. The accommodation is poor as anyone could see with four people sharing a small room in what is essentially a shipping container. Finally, the Kafala system.

Let's start from the end and work our way back.

The Kafala system is essentially a sponsorship as any person that comes to work in Qatar needs a local sponsor, be it a person or institution. In the workers' and service industry workers the case is different as the sponsor gets to keep their passports barring them from leaving. The reason behind that is sums of money are paid to agencies, but nonetheless, I think it's obvious why that system is messed up and needed to be changed twenty years ago.

Next, we have payment and accommodation. Some people likened the workers' situation to slave labour which is a very unfair way of calling it that, well, depends on how you define it. But, the issue is that the name seems to be reserved for migrant workers in that region alone. Defending Qatar, in this case, is valid, however, it reveals a much bigger and worse problem.

It seems to me that people attacking all of this are oblivious to how the situation is for cheap labour around the globe as a whole. How many stories have you heard of 12 people, each working 2-3 jobs, living in one studio apartment? The reason I am saying this is because I personally know such people who actually envied the workers in Qatar and their accommodation. It sounds fucked up, and I am not defending Qatar here as much as I am condemning the entire industry.

The official store of the German national team kit sells jerseys similar to the ones worn at the World Cup for over 100$. Do you want to guess how much of that is going to the workers stitching in China or any other place where labour is cheap? Do you want to know why some factories around the world install nets near the windows? Do you want to know how many people had their health get worse and how many committed suicide working in Amazon warehouses? Do you want to know why your H&M shirt costs only 10 dollars?

The fact is cheap labour is and will always be treated similarly to how they're in Qatar. The same can be said about immigrants in general, it's a big lie that most people in the western world seem to believe regarding how the poor and cheap labour workers live. No, they live a very bad, unhealthy, depressing, and just painful life to see. I know that because I am friends with many who migrated thanks to that false premise.

The "cheap" in cheap labour doesn't only mean the wage but also the value of such workers. And thanks to automation, jobs in such industries keep decreasing along with their wages, it's a much darker world that people avoid addressing by sticking it solely on Qatar.

The question remains, do people REALLY want to address these issues or do they just want to throw judgement quickly while moving on to the next topic on Twitter's trending page where they give their opinion about Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial?

England proudly and loudly stood against the treatment of migrant workers while wearing Nike jerseys that were stitched by workers in similar, and sometimes worse, believe it or not, situations. Along with the people screaming and tweeting about that issue using their iPhones, most likely manufactured in the same factory where workers protested.

It's a messed up industry globally.

In Conclusion

I know it seems like whataboutism, and in ways it is, but, it is necessary to bring up the whole problem rather than just a small part of it. Assuming that the concern is the actual lives of people and not just standing on their graves and suffering to score political points and likes on social posting using phones and wearing clothes that the people making them can't afford.

If the concern is the lives and living conditions of workers, then these people have a great chance of fighting it in their own countries without waiting for the next country they hate to host an event. Qatar is only horrible and morally corrupt because it chose to participate in the same system as every other country with a successful economy. A system put forth by the very same countries criticizing Qatar for participating in it.