“We believe that sport should bring people together. When this is not the case, we want to take a stand. This is how Hummel justified on Instagram on Wednesday his presentation of the three Danish shirts for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The choice of the third jersey is for example highly symbolic, since it is black, “the color of mourning”. The organizers of the World Cup in Qatar accuse the equipment manufacturer of “devaluing” the progress made by the country by blurring its logo from its official jerseys for the tournament.
These jerseys are “a protest against Qatar and its human rights record”, Hummel explains, adding therefore “not wishing to be visible during a tournament which has cost the lives of thousands of people”. A reference to the human toll on Qatari construction sites which is strongly contested by Doha.
“Critical messages” on training shirts
According to Qatar, three workers died in industrial accidents during the construction of the eight stadiums of the World Cup, which begins on November 20. The country has, however, been accused of downplaying deaths in the construction sector. The Supreme World Cup Organizing Committee highlights “significant labor market reforms” in recent years, “recognized” by actors such as the International Labor Organization (ILO). He “unreservedly rejects the trivialization of [son] sincere commitment to protecting the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built the World Cup stadiums and other tournament-related projects.”
The organizers add that they have had a “solid and transparent dialogue” with the Danish federation (DBU) on the subject and ask it to “communicate the result with precision”, in particular to Hummel. Since the awarding of the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup to Qatar, the small Gulf emirate has come under heavy criticism over the rights of migrant workers, the LGBT+ community and the environmental impact of the tournament. As the World Cup approaches, sponsors and brands have adopted more or less radical positions depending on the country. In Denmark, the team’s training shirts will display “critical messages”, two sponsors having accepted that they replace their logo.