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Qatar’s World Cup featured plenty of competition — including between soccer and politics

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For much of its nearly 100-year history, the World Cup has been a clash of sport and politics — though perhaps never so much as at this year’s tournament in Qatar.

Despite organizers’ best efforts to get players and fans to focus on the soccer, the current men’s World Cup has faced enduring accusations. They’ve been accused of “sportswashing” over the host’s human rights record, with spectators detained and teams threatened over rainbow flags. It has left long-time observers wondering if FIFA has lost control of its own event.

Here’s a look at the times politics and sports collided at the 2022 men’s World Cup:

A controversial host

With its tiny population, extreme heat and lack of footballing history, the choice of Qatar as this year’s World Cup host had long raised eyebrows.

Days before the tournament opened on Nov. 20, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said it was “a mistake” to choose Qatar, in part because of its small size — adding that the event should have instead gone to the U.S.

On the eve of the opening ceremony, FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivered a 57-minute tirade, demanding critics stop talking about politics and human rights, and instead enjoy the soccer. Infantino has since kept a low public profile.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks at a press conference in Doha on Nov. 19. In his 57-minute speech, Infantino urged critics to stop talking about politics and human rights, and instead enjoy the soccer. (Matthew Childs/Reuters)

The plight of migrant workers

Exploitation of migrant workers, including those who built Qatar’s stadiums and infrastructure, has been a dark cloud over its World Cup, with some former labourers detailing slave-like conditions with low pay and little time off.

Hassan Al Thawadi, the head of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee, brushed off the recent death of a migrant worker at a training site by saying: “Death is a natural part of life.” Another worker died in a fall at a stadium on Saturday.

Al Thawadi previously said between 400 and 500 migrant workers died during World Cup construction projects.

A crowd of migrant workers watch France play Morocco at a fan zone inside a Doha cricket stadium on Wednesday. World Cup organizers say between 400 and 500 migrant workers died while working on construction projects for the tournament. (Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters)

Removing rainbows

World Cup organizers took extraordinary steps to try to keep rainbow flags and clothing out of stadiums, amid criticism over Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ laws. Fans had items confiscated, and some were even removed from stadiums or detained for wearing rainbow clothing.

The captains of seven European teams abandoned a plan to wear rainbow armbands during matches after FIFA threatened them with yellow cards. In a joint statement, the teams said they couldn’t risk their success at the tournament by taking a stand (two yellow cards would result in a player being sent off and banned from the team’s next game).

Before their opening match, Germany’s players posed for a team photo with their mouths covered, in reference to being gagged by FIFA over the armbands.

Germany’s players cover their mouths while posing for a team photo before their opening World Cup match against Japan in Doha on Nov. 23. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters)

Nonetheless, a rainbow did make it onto the pitch, when a protester carrying a peace flag interrupted a match between Portugal and Uruguay.

The flag is an unofficial symbol of world peace, which was created in Italy in 1961 and carries the word “PACE,” which is Italian for peace.

A pitch invader runs across the field with a peace flag during Portugal’s group stage match against Uruguay in Lusail on Nov. 28. (Abbie Parr/The Associated Press)

Protesting Iran’s regime

Iran’s flag also became a contentious motif during the country’s games. Security guards confiscated Persian pre-revolutionary flags and signs bearing messages of support for Iran’s protest movement. There were also confrontations between protesters and supporters of the Iranian regime.

A security official, right, speaks with fans who were holding up a flag advocating for women’s rights in Iran, and a shirt with the name of Mahsa Amini on it, while Iran played Wales in Doha on Nov. 25. Amini’s death in custody in September sparked massive protests across Iran. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

But some ticket-holders did manage to carry flags, T-shirts and signs into stadiums, and they held up messages referring to women’s rights and Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman whose death in Iranian custody in September sparked the country’s massive protests.

Iran’s soccer team stood silently during their national anthem, ahead of their opening match, in a sign of support for the protests back home. However, they sang the anthem at their next match.

Iran players did not sing their national anthem before their opening World Cup match against England in Doha on Nov. 21. (Hannah Mckay/Reuters)

Iran’s group stage face-off with the U.S. was shaping up as a geopolitical event, even before U.S. Soccer posted an altered version of Iran’s flag — without its Islamic Republic emblem — on social media. The U.S. Soccer Federation later said the post was a show of support for Iran’s protest movement.

Iranian state media called for Team USA to be kicked out of the World Cup, while the U.S. team’s coach and captain were grilled by Iranian journalists over the flag image, geopolitics in the Persian Gulf, and their pronunciation of “Iran” as “eye-ran”.

Palestinian flag on display

The flag of the Palestinian territories has been a regular sight in the stands and on the pitch at this year’s World Cup — the first to take place in the Middle East — even though their team isn’t playing.

On Nov. 30, a man waving a Palestinian flag ran onto the pitch during Tunisia’s game against France.

And when Morocco reached the quarterfinals, it wasn’t their own flag they posed with. Instead, they celebrated with a Palestinian flag.

Morocco defender Jawad El Yamiq waves the Palestinian flag after his team beat Canada in Doha on Dec. 1. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada’s goalie faces discrimination

FIFA disciplined Croatia’s team after its fans taunted Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan during the two teams’ group stage clash on Nov. 27.

Borjan was born in an ethnic Serb region of Croatia that was part of the conflict that split the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. During the match, Borjan faced abusive chants and banners making light of his family’s escape from their hometown when it was taken by Croatian forces in 1995.

In a statement on its website, the Croatian Football Federation said FIFA’s disciplinary committee had fined it 50,000 Swiss francs ($72,600 Cdn) for its fans’ inappropriate behaviour.

Canada’s goalkeeper Milan Borjan, left, and defender Kamal Miller react after losing a group stage match against Croatia during the 2022 World Cup in Al Rayyan on Nov. 27. Borjan was subjected to taunts by Croatian fans during the game, for which FIFA later fined Croatia’s soccer association. (Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY Sports)

Beery bad news

Two days before the World Cup opened, Qatar — which has very strict alcohol control — announced it would not allow beer to be sold in stadiums. Instead, it could only be sold in fan zones and some other approved sites.

The news came as a shock to FIFA, ticket-holders and Budweiser alike. The beer giant has been a World Cup sponsor since 1985. It’s unclear whether it will sue World Cup organizers for breaching their multimillion-dollar contract.

The company quickly came up with another way to offload all the beer it took to Qatar: give it to the winning team.

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Moe visiting Yorkton as Saskatchewan election campaign continues

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Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is set to be on the road today as the provincial election campaign continues.

Moe is set to speak in the city of Yorkton about affordability measures this morning before travelling to the nearby village of Theodore for an event with the local Saskatchewan Party candidate.

NDP Leader Carla Beck doesn’t have any events scheduled, though several party candidates are to hold press conferences.

On Thursday, Moe promised a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected.

The NDP said the Saskatchewan Party was punching down on vulnerable children.

Election day is Oct. 28.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan Party’s Moe pledges change room ban in schools; Beck calls it desperate

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.

Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.

He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.

It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.

“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.

He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.

Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.

“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.

The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.

“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.

“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”

Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.

Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.

“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.

“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”

Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.

People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.

“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.

The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.

The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.

Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.

Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.

She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.

“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.

“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.

“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”

She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.

“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”

Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.

Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.

Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

— With files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

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Promise tracker: What the Saskatchewan Party and NDP pledge to do if they win Oct. 28

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REGINA – Saskatchewan‘s provincial election is on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at some of the campaign promises made by the two major parties:

Saskatchewan Party

— Continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa on natural gas until the end of 2025.

— Reduce personal income tax rates over four years; a family of four would save $3,400.

— Double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year and the benefit for children with disabilities to $400 a year.

— Direct all school divisions to ban “biological boys” from girls’ change rooms in schools.

— Increase the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from $10,000.

— Reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, allowing homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation costs on their income taxes; seniors could claim up to $5,000.

— Extend coverage for insulin pumps and diabetes supplies to seniors and young adults

— Provide a 50 per cent refundable tax credit — up to $10,000 — to help cover the cost of a first fertility treatment.

— Hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more officers with the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.

— Amend legislation to provide police with more authority to address intoxication, vandalism and disturbances on public property.

— Platform cost of $1.2 billion, with deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in 2027.

NDP

— Pause the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax for six months, saving an average family about $350.

— Remove the provincial sales tax from children’s clothes and ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and granola bars.

— Pass legislation to limit how often and how much landlords can raise rent.

— Repeal the law that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.

— Launch a provincewide school nutrition program.

— Build more schools and reduce classroom sizes.

— Hire 800 front-line health-care workers in areas most in need.

— Launch an accountability commission to investigate cost overruns for government projects.

— Scrap the marshals service.

— Hire 100 Mounties and expand detox services.

— Platform cost of $3.5 billion, with small deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in the fourth year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct .17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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