Irish Examiner View: Odd restrictions at 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Media outlets must agree to conditions if they are to obtain a permit to cover the World Cup in Qatar.

When the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar with a game between the hosts and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on November 20, the whistle will shrill on one of the most controversial global football tournaments ever staged.

As kick-off beckons, Qatar has run into a new row over the ‘chilling’ effect of new regulations for media outlets covering the event, which prevent people being interviewed in their own homes, and the banning of filming at accommodation sites such as those catering for migrant workers, as well as recording at government buildings, universities, places of worship, hospitals, and businesses.

These restrictions are within a list of conditions insisted upon by the Qatari government, and media outlets must agree to if they are to obtain a permit to “capture photography and videography of the most popular locations around the country”. 

The regulations will prevent media outlets from any in-depth investigations during the tournament on issues such as the mistreatment of foreign workers or LGBTQ+ rights, although Qatari authorities maintain thousands of journalists report freely from the country every year without interference. If that is the case, why are these latest restrictions being introduced just before the country hosts the World Cup, one of sport’s most prestigious global events?

And why is soccer’s governing body, Fifa, only now saying it is working to ensure the best possible working conditions for media attending the tournament? Surely these ground rules are a long-established part of the process of awarding of the tournament to any nation, and do not have to be manipulated to suit the needs of the country hosting the World Cup?

These latest restrictions do little to stem international concerns about Qatar’s suitability to host such a major event, and add little to the credibility of the organisation which awarded the country the right to host in the first place.