– Yesterday I saw Norway-Morocco from 1998, says Antonsen. In addition to being a priest in the Church of Norway, he is passionately interested in football. But when the football started to roll in Qatar last Sunday, it was without Antonsen watching. He is boycotting this year’s football World Cup in the desert country. – The reason is the slave-like practice that Qatar has engaged in for many years, and which has led to many poor foreign workers coming home in coffins. – You kind of don’t dare use those words, but that’s what makes it all very serious. These days, he rather watches all the matches from the 1998 World Cup in France. – In addition, Norway is involved, so it is absolutely wonderful, he says to news. – I have changed the submission form. There are as many teams and as many matches as the WC this year. So it goes up. Photo: Privat Fewer watch the World Cup in Qatar A recent survey suggests that Antonsen is not alone in watching other things than the World Cup this year. New figures show a drop in viewership of 30 percent this year, compared to the WC in Russia in 2018. While 2018 had an average of 356,000 viewers in 2018, the WC in Qatar 2022 has an average of 227,000 so far. The World Cup in Qatar has been controversial. This is due to everything from the way the country was awarded the championship, to the working conditions of the many thousands of migrant workers who have worked under very poor conditions. It is also to blame for the way queer and women’s rights are handled in the country. Boycotting the World Cup: – It’s crazy to watch Neither author and journalist in the football magazine Josimar, Nils Henrik Smith, is watching the World Cup this year. Nor should others do that, he believes. – Yes, I think it’s crazy to watch this year’s WC finals. He bases it on the human suffering on which this year’s World Cup is built, with gross and systematic exploitation of foreign workers in Qatar. – A boycott will hardly change the social order in Qatar. However, it can make it more difficult for FIFA to choose a similar organizer next time, says Smith. Photo: Kagge Forlag – It makes it impermissible to look at. Then, of course, it is all about giving a signal. It is important that as many as possible show through action that we do not accept football being abused in this way. – Is a boycott the only correct way to handle the WC this year? – I can’t see any alternative. It has nothing to do with inflicting shame, but raising awareness of what we actually want to see at the World Cup in Qatar. – Money is the only language FIFA understands, therefore one must show that the championship this year is something that fewer people are willing to invest time and emotions in. – Can it in no way be beneficial, for example by being aware of the issues and covering the circumstances ? – I don’t understand in what way it is supposed to justify watching the matches. All the attention surrounding the sport justifies, from FIFA’s point of view, the decision to place the WC there. It will also make it easier for them to make a similar assessment in the future. A boycott will hardly change the social order in Qatar. However, it can make it more difficult for FIFA to choose a similar organizer next time, according to Smith. Football sociologist: – Will not be decided by TV viewers Preventing the next WC from going to Saudi Arabia is the best outcome of a boycott, according to Arve Hjelseth. – I think you can watch the World Cup, because world history is not decided by who sits in front of the TV and watches football. – FIFA is corrupt and Qatar is openly corrupt. But as a colleague said to me yesterday, the world is corrupt. If these conditions were to be used as a basis, all championships would have to be held in Scandinavia. Even Germany probably bribed FIFA delegates before they won the championship in 2006. Photo: Odd Roger Langørgen He is a football sociologist at NTNU and researches audience culture. That is why he visits the World Cup to see what is happening in the stands. – Isn’t this what the authorities in Qatar want, for people to see how great the World Cup is? – I don’t think the weight of TV viewers will take Qatar’s attempt to present itself for good fish. Many journalists end up hiding behind this facade. Against FIFA and Qatar, boycotting sponsors will probably be as effective as not watching. Hjelseth has great sympathy with those who are boycotting, and says that he is on an equal footing with them. – I don’t look at myself. I have no commitment to a World Cup in a country without football traditions and I think the award was ridiculous. But I do not want to criticize the morals of those who choose to watch the WC. Qatar without a reputation before the World Cup In Qatar, the criticism of human rights and migrant workers is something that has primarily come on a large scale after the awarding of the football World Cup. – That is why Qatar stands out from countries such as Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, which are already known for being authoritarian regimes with violations of human rights. – The Football World Cup is not the only move. One also has Al Jazeera and the sports section Beln Sports, in addition to investments in Europe. Qatar has worked its way up to gain a position both politically and in terms of security policy. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news So says Charlotte Lysa, football researcher at UiO. – Would Qatar have come out of it better if they had not applied for the WC? – It will only be speculation. But I think it is interesting that Saudi Arabia is following in the same footsteps, with some of the criticism that has come against Qatar. There they have made an assessment. – Why is the football World Cup important for Qatar? – It is to get the attention that comes with it. Since the mid-90s, Qatar has pursued a fairly aggressive policy in which sport has been a part of it. It is a small country with enormous resources, but without any particular military defence. Therefore, they are completely dependent on strong international relations. And the problem for Qatar was not that they had a bad reputation before the World Cup was awarded, but that they had no reputation at all, says Lysa. – I don’t think that many people could place Qatar on the map before 2010. So for Qatar, this is about becoming an important player. Back to the climax Jacob Antonsen wants to hold himself accountable, and believes that the award to Qatar has had far too few consequences. – The public watches the WC, regardless of whether the country they come from is participating or not. States such as Qatar actively use this power. Then I think that there must be consequences, if nothing else than for myself. – We are concerned with saying the right thing, and occasionally we have to do the right thing too. On Tuesday 29 November, Antonsen will turn on what for many Norwegians is the Norwegian football highlight of all time: the 2-1 winner against Brazil.
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Jacob boycotts the football World Cup in Qatar with matches from 1998 – news Nordland
