Real Madrid star Toni Kroos unhappy with Qatar World Cup, slams treatment of workers

Ever since reports of mass human rights violations during the construction activities for the 2022 Qatar World Cup has come to the fore, ethical and moral questions have been raised over the middle-eastern nation. National football teams, including Norway and Germany, did not shy away from registering their protest prior to the kickstart to the first game of their respective qualifier campaign. Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has now joined the bandwagon to bring to light the severity of the crisis.

Toni Kroos questions Qatar World Cup hosting rights 

Speaking on his brother Felix’s podcast, Toni Kroos has said that the decision to award Qatar the hosting rights for the highest footballing competition in the world was a mistake. He highlighted the plight of the labourers working continuously in scorching heat with the temperature reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius.

"Immigrant workers are subjected to days without rest under torrid 50-degree heat. They suffer from insufficient nutrition, without drinking water and in crazy temperatures,” said the Real Madrid midfielder who missed out on the national team selection due to an injury.

Toni Kroos cites mass Qatar World Cup deaths 

The 2014 World Cup winner went on to cite several other reasons for lashing out at Qatar. He cited the fact that the 2022 World Cup hosts have criminalised homosexuality, while also highlighting the fact that the workers are subject to a certain kind of violence from the authorities.

Indeed, a shocking study by the Guardian claims that more than 6,500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was awarded the responsibility of hosting the World Cup. 37 of these deaths are directly related to the construction of stadiums for the top FIFA competition scheduled a couple of years later. 

2022 FIFA World Cup controversy: Norway, Germany speak against human rights violations 

The Norwegian national team led by Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland were the first to protest against human rights violations. The team wore special shirts prior to the game against Gibraltar. "Human Rights, on and off the pitch," were imprinted on the t-shirts and were aimed at casting much-needed attention on the human rights crisis in Qatar.

The German national team’s starting line up also wore special black t-shirts prior to the Iceland clash with an alphabet each from the 'Human Rights' imprinted on every t-shirt. Speaking to RTL, Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka asserted that the national team wanted to highlight the plight of the labour struggle in Qatar, following the efforts taken by the Norwegian national team. 

Image courtesy: Toni Kroos Twitter