Read to find out why the sports presenter chose to go to Qatar despite controversies over human rights violations.
Alex Scott has achieved many things throughout her career as a footballer as well as a sports presenter, even becoming the very first female pundit on BBC following the World Cup of 2018. As a result of her career upsurge, she was picked as one of the pundits for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
However, given her stance on certain social issues that particularly pertain to Qatar as a nation, many are questioning why she agreed to go there in the first place.
The human cost
The Football World Cup is a meteoric event that is watched by the majority of the population in the world, and an event of such stature is revered by countries when it comes to hosting. That being said, such events may also require venues that match the excitement.
According to the BBC, Qatar bagged the rights to host the World Cup following a victory through a ballot in 2010, coming on top of the US, Australia, South Korea, and Japan. It is the first Middle-Eastern nation to host the World Cup.
According to a report by The Guardian, migrant workers were hired for World Cup-related constructions, with various reports of deaths attached to the construction process. Officially, it is noted that there were 37 deaths that were non-work related and three that were work-related.
However, The Guardian further notes that these estimates are difficult to verify, particularly the aspect of how many deaths were specifically related to the construction process. An analysis by The Guardian notes that over 6,500 migrant workers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan have died since Qatar got the rights to host.
Limitations of social freedoms
The BBC notes that homosexuality is essentially illegal in Qatar, and punishments can range from fines to seven years in prison and even the death penalty. It was further reported that the World Cup Qatar 2022 chief executive, Nasser al Khater stated that the laws will not be changed and visiting football fans are required to 'respect our culture.'
This means that any public display of affection, which includes straight couples as well, will not be tolerated within the country. Khater's statement also includes any kind of support that's directed toward LGBTQ+ communities, which includes wearing supporting armbands or any kind of supportive symbol. Recently, the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino lashed out through the media stating that critics weren't in a position 'to give moral lessons to the people.'
Claims of hypocrisy
Pundits Alex Scott and Gary Lineker gave passionate monologues during their coverage of the World Cup, particularly speaking about the human rights violations in the nation. However, The Daily Mail reports that many viewers on Twitter were calling them hypocrites for accepting this paid stream of work within the very country they were criticizing.
However, Scott has defended her choice to cover the World Cup, and shot back at the critics stating that 'it would be easy to stay at home' and that she is there to 'do her job,' stating that she is using this platform to send a message, reports The Daily Mail.
She said:
I totally understand their reasons as well as a whole heap of fans from the LGBTQ+ community around the world not wanting to and once again we reference Gianni Infantino, you are not gay, you will not understand travelling to a country where you are fearing for your life about your preference of who you choose to love.
Scott added:
To keep saying football is for everyone, that's what you keep feeding us with, it's not because people have not been able to travel to support their teams out of fear, so you can't say football is for everyone. When you sit and have conversations, I've had conversations about I should be staying at home, I should be boycotting, and I think me personally that would be the easy option to do just that.
During England's first match, Scott was seen to be wearing the OneLove armband, which is a symbolic gesture of support toward the LGBTQ+ community, and she chose to wear the armband when the England and Wales teams made the decision to not wear it due to Fifa rules on clothing.
This clearly indicates that Scott is intending to be at ground zero to show solidarity, and at the same time utilize her platform as a pundit and a presenter to bring attention to these issues.
Read more:
⋙ Alex Scott: What is the net worth of the sports presenter?
⋙ Jordan Pickford's wife Megan says England WAGs are in 'paradise' at Qatar
⋙ England’s Raheem Sterling exits the Qatar World Cup prior to France clash
