Human Rights Violations Continue as Qatar 2022 Approaches

Two years ago Soccer Walks NYC wrote a blog post entitled: Why the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a disgrace - Qatartroversy. It basically outlined the controversies surrounding FIFA’s awarding of the 2022 World Cup to the tiny gulf nation. These included:

• Human Rights violations within the country

• The exploitation of migrant workers compared to modern-day slavery

• No football history

• The fact that the entire football world is being forced to reconfigure their schedules. In order to accommodate Qatar, FIFA is moving the World Cup from summer to winter due to the intense heat in Qatar.

The UK’s Guardian has been following the ongoing human rights violations in Qatar since the 2010 announcement my FIFA.

In a recent article, the Guardian reported that 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup. This averages out to 12 workers from these five south Asian nations dying each week since December 2010.

It’s believed the death toll is even higher as the deaths from a number of countries that send large numbers of workers to Qatar, including the Philippines and Kenya are not included.

The need for laborers is due to the fact that Qatar had no infrastructure capable of holding the world’s largest sporting event. The country’s building program includes seven new stadiums, a new airport, roads, public transport systems, hotels, and a new city, which will host the World Cup final.

Responding to the Guardian’s report, a spokesperson for FIFA, said it is fully committed to protecting the rights of workers on FIFA projects.

A number of countries have voiced their concerns over the issue of human rights in Qatar.

This week the Norway national team wore t-shirts bearing the slogan “Human rights – on and off the pitch”. This was in response to a debate in Norway about whether the Norwegian Football Federation should boycott the 2022 World Cup.

The Dutch national team is committed to highlighting the mistreatment of migrant workers in Qatar. Coach Frank de Boer said at a news conference this week, "A lot of attention is now focused on whether we should go there if we qualify. It is right to ask that question ... Everyone knows that what is happening there is not good".

Last month, the English Football Association announced that it will raise human rights abuses and homophobia issues with the Qatar FA after signing a memorandum of understanding with the hosts of the 2022 World Cup.

Amnesty International has been reporting on human rights violations in Qatar for years. In fact, in a report entitled Qatar World Cup of Shame, it details the full list of abuse that migrant workers have been subjected to.

Amnesty International recently sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In it, they called for FIFA to live up to its responsibilities to prevent, mitigate and remedy human rights risks connected to the tournament, and to “use the full extent of its influence” to urge Qatar to fulfill its program of labor reforms before the World Cup kicks off.

The controversies and problems surrounding FIFA’s decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar have been going on for well over a decade now. Expect the conversations to get louder and more frequent as the dates for the tournament get closer.

The New York area's history in the US Open Cup

 The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world.  The US Open Cup dates back to 1914 when it was known as the National Challenge Cup. The first cup was won by the Brooklyn Field Club 2-1 over Brooklyn Celtic.

Back then it was a competition open to amateur clubs as well as professional teams. It was modeled after the English Football League’s FA Cup which began in 1872.

In 1999 the official name for the tournament was changed to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Hunt had spent his life promoting soccer. He was one of the founders of the American Football League, Major League Soccer, and the North American Soccer League.

Brooklyn Hispano with the 1944 US Open Cup Trophy

Over the years the New York area has produced 26 US Open Cup Champions including:

• Greek American AA (4)

• New York Pancyprian-Freedoms (3)

• Brooklyn Hispano (2)

• Brooklyn Italians (2)

• New York Americans (2)

• Brookhattan

• Brooklyn Field Club

• Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic

• Eintracht

• New York German–Hungarian

• Krete

• New York Hota

• New York Hakoah

• New York Hungaria

• New York Nationals

• New York Ukrainians

• Robins Dry Dock

• Rochester Rhinos

• While there have been a number of back-to-back winners, the only New York area club to win three straight years is still the New York Greek Americans who were champions from 1967-1969.

MLS teams have dominated the tournament since they began participating in 1996.

The 107th edition of the tournament scheduled for 2020 was expected to include 100 clubs. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic caused its cancellation. It was the first time in 106 years that the US Open Cup was not contested.

In total, the New York region has hosted 27 US Open Cup finals at various venues, that no longer exist, including Starlight Park, Triborough Stadium, Dexter Park, the Metropolitan Oval, the Polo Grounds, and Ebbets Field. Despite this, a New York City-based club has not won the Open Cup since 1991, when the Brooklyn Italians defeated the Richardson Rockets. The last time a local club reached the final was 2003 when the MetroStars (now known as the New York Red Bulls) lost to the Chicago Fire.

Why do Americans call it Soccer and not Football?

It was my friends from England and Ireland that first got me into soccer. I used to meet up with them to watch matches from the English Premier League. It was through this experience that I became a fan. I’ve now been following the sport for quite a while and I’ve become accustomed to calling it football. I will admit that part of the reason for calling it football rather than soccer is so I don’t have to endure the bias towards Americans for trying to “Americanize” the English game.

I decided to do a bit of research as to why we began calling the sport Soccer rather than Football. Here’s what I found out:

Believe it or not, the term soccer actually comes from the other side of the Atlantic, not ours.

In 2014 University of Michigan professor Stefan Szymanski published a paper that explained that explains the origins of the term. As it turns out, the word was developed by the British. In fact, it was used widely in the UK until about 30-40 years ago when it was viewed as too American.

The story is that back in the mid-1800s a number of British universities played football and decided to standardize the rules for all. One version of the game was played using your hands and became known as “rugby football”. Another version was called "association football".

From there the British gave each version of the sport a nickname. "Rugby football" was shortened to "rugger" while "Association football" came to be called “soccer."‘

Eventually, both forms of the sport crossed the Atlantic. What was formally known as Association Football in the UK was simply called Soccer in the United States. The game known as “gridiron” in the UK was adopted and adapted to become what we now call football. In the UK it is known as “American football”.

According to Szymanski’s findings, the term soccer was still used regularly by the Brtish up until the early 1980s.

Since then, the word soccer in the UK is pretty much only used when referring to the US version of the game. Apparently many felt less British if they continued using the word soccer. Yes, it seems silly, but that’s the story.

In the end, Americans are not the only ones that do not call the sport football. In Canada, Australia, and New Zealand it’s soccer. In Italy it’s Calcio. In Japan, it’s sakkā which is derived from "soccer" and a number of other countries refer to the sport as something other than football or soccer.

Redditor reddripper put together the following excellent map of what "the beautiful game" is called around the world.

The Premier League carries on despite new Coronavirus restrictions

When COVID-19 first became a global pandemic, soccer leagues throughout the world shut down (except of course for Belarus and Burundi, seriously). Many of these leagues returned to action over the summer, including the English Premier League.

The numbers in the UK are currently out of control and the entire UK is currently on lockdown. The headline from Wednesday, January 13th reported that the UK had recorded its highest daily deaths since the pandemic started.

Despite strict rules that have been in place, there have been many COVID outbreaks at a number of Premier League clubs. There have also been way too many reports of players flagrantly breaking the rules about social gathering and travelling.

The most recent outbreak is with Aston Villa where 10 players and four staff members tested positive and were forced in to self isolation.

Last week the league issued strict warnings to the league’s clubs and players about on field celebrations. This included no hugging, high fives or handshakes.

Over the weekend, players at several clubs, Sheffield United, Manchester United and Everton, ignored these warnings during matches and did their usual celebrations.

Today the British government has put out further warnings telling the players they must follow the coronavirus rules.

The announcement was put out by Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston. In a Twitter post, he said 'Everyone in the country has had to change the way they interact with people and ways of working. Footballers are no exception. Covid secure guidelines exist for football. Footballers must follow them and football authorities enforce them - strictly.'

Many managers have expressed concern that it will be difficult to control the on field actions of their players. At the same time, referees will be asked to remind players of their responsibilities.

There have been calls for the league to shut down again, but government officials want to avoid this. English football is one of the only things currently available to people to watch live on television and people are currently prohibited from doing much else. Soccer is the national pass time and provides the people with a form of sport entertainment.

The new restrictions include mask wearing at all times in indoor areas at the training ground, the use of three buses when travelling to ensure social distancing, limited physio treatment at training grounds and restricting indoor meetings.

What are your thoughts on the continuation of the English Premier League while COVID cases have risen in the UK? Should the league be shut down? Should players that break the rules by socializing in large groups be punished?

Let us know what you think.

Soccer is thriving in Manhattan at Pier 40

The borough of Manhattan is a concrete jungle which makes finding a place to play soccer difficult. There are parks and fields within the city where games are played, but at the present time, one of the best spots has is at Pier 40 along the Hudson River.

Looking at Pier 40 from the outside, you wouldn’t suspect that this was the home to numerous leagues and clubs throughout the city. That’s because Pier 40 was built in 1962 for the Holland America Cruise Line. The complex also includes a large public parking lot which is what you see when looking at the facility from street level.

Inside Pier 40 it’s a different story. The rooftop and lower courtyard areas are covered with artificial turf and are used for both youth and adult soccer leagues. It’s estimated that over 200,000 people use the fields each year. The area is also used for recreational summer camps and year round instructional programs.

One league that calls Pier 40 Home is Downtown United Soccer Club. They recently announced the kick off to their new season with a tribute to Pier 40:

𝙋𝙄𝙀𝙍 40 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙁

Today we kick off our new season with an 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚 to a pitch like no other. A new generation of ballers will write their own stories on this pitch and the City of Dreams will be watching. pic.twitter.com/rZ8lS5l8WI

— DUSC (@DowntownUtdSC) September 8, 2020

Pier 40 does have its problems, however. The building is an eyesore and is falling apart in some areas. For these reasons Pier 40 For All has been created by members of the community and those that use the fields at Pier 40. It’s mission states:

Pier 40 For All is a coalition for neighbors and community groups who are working together to make sure that as Hudson River Park is finished, Pier 40 is transformed into a beautiful, environmentally conscious space that fits the needs of our local community, expands and improves our sports fields, and supports the park with appropriately scaled commercial uses.

We’ll follow any developments on the future of soccer at Pier 40.

Fans are allowed back in Japan but with restrictions

Sports fans have been putting up with what is now known as “the new normal” for six months and counting.

The good news is that sports have returned but without fans and without the normal atmosphere that a full stadium brings to a match. Instead cardboard cut outs and piped in crowd noises have become the norm for fans watching from home.

Even better news is that some leagues and teams in various sports have begun to allow fans back into stadiums. One example is Japan’s top flight soccer league, the J-League

Like leagues throughout the world, the J-League suspended play in March. Matches were allowed to begin again on June 27th. There have been isolated cases of players testing positive, but the league has carried on.

The government decided to start allowing fans to return in early July with a limit of up to 5,000 fans per match. There are also restrictions on what those in attendance can do. Alcohol sales are prohibited which is not surprising. What is interesting is that initially clapping, chanting, cheering, singing, and drumming were not allowed. (Recently the league decided that clapping would be allowed as it is low risk for spreading the virus and will now be allowed.)

In a recent New York Times article here’s what the writer observed at a recent F.C. Tokyo home match:

• When the fans applauded a great play it made the match feel more like a symphony concert than a soccer game.

• Everyone that attended the match had to have a temperature check prior to entering the stadium.

• Throughout the stadium there were markers on the ground reminding fans to social distance when lining up to buy food or souvenirs.

• Every other row in the stadium was kept empty and each ticketed spectator had two empty seats to their right and to their left (this included people from the same family).

• The area of the stands usually filled with away fans was totally empty.

• Those in attendance had to provide their names and contact information for contact tracing purposes.

The J-League is going to reevaluate its policy on fan attendance at the end of September to see if more fans will be allowed to return to matches.

Here in the states Dallas, Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City SC and Real Salt Lake have received permission from local governments to allow a limited amount of fans in to their stadiums..

Sporting KC CEO Jake Reid was asked whether it was worth it to open the stadium for a small number of spectators. His reply was, "Finances aren't driving much of major league sports at this point." It appears the real priority is trying to restore some sense of normalcy to the games.

Hopefully we’ll be able to return to a “real normal” in the near future. In the meantime it’s a strange scene inside soccer stadiums throughout the world.

What do you think about the current state of things with regards to fan attendance?

Major League Soccer kicks off its 25th season this weekend

How much progress has the league made?

Major League Soccer begins its 25th season this weekend. That alone may surprise many as there were many doubters and naysayers when the league began back in 1996 with ten teams. The total number of teams is now 26 and will reach 30 by 2022 with the addition of Austin, Charlotte, Sacramento and St. Louis.

MLS averages 20,000 fans per game. This is the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the NFL and MLB. It’s also the seventh highest attended professional soccer league in the world.

Over the years many of soccer’s biggest names have plied their trade in the American league. The list includes: David Beckham, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Ibrahimovic and Didier Drogba among many other big names.

Unfortunately for MLS, major leagues around the world have a higher profile and a lot of history. If a player has the opportunity to play soccer at the highest level, they are going to choose La Liga, Serie A, the Premier League, Bundesliga or other top flight leagues over MLS. The bottom line is that the level of play is higher in more established leagues than it is in MLS. Major League Soccer is making inroads but it’s going take some time to attract top players in the prime of their careers.

Here’s what fans have to say about MLS:

That’s true. The problem is that world soccer is readily accessible and plentiful today. In addition, while MLS level of play has improved considerably there are still too many clunkers and teams barely competing.

— The Boss (@RobertWCross) February 21, 2020

I never watch MLS,inferior to the PL in every way,it’ll get better but not enough in a country that’s over saturated in sports.

— RustyMckeever (@MckeeverRusty) February 29, 2020

Premier League makes you realize that the MLS has a long way to go to have the quality of players, it’s much more exciting than MLS. But being a Man U fan is brutal more often than not these days

— Hot Takes and Hostility (@615Hockey) February 13, 2020

Just read an AP article in the sports section of the SJ-R that is saying in the next 10 years MLS will overtake MLB in popularity. Hahaha...not in my lifetime! Almost as boring to watch as golf. ZZZZZZZZZZ...

— Big Kahuna (@bigkahuna644) February 27, 2020

I’m from LA. But I’m stating the facts. The MLS is boring to watch. I watch game’s from league 2 and I rather watch that than the mls

— Juan Ochoa (@Juan0choa) February 26, 2020

The good news is that there are fans who truly support the league:

Always love opening week of @MLS, pumped for @NashvilleSC and @InterMiamiCF but even more pumped for @CharlotteMLS next year

— Ryan (@ryandonahue96) February 29, 2020

Love that the @MLS is back. Looking forward to the new mls season and @NWSL season coming up. Excited for soccer in this country

— Jake Davis (@JakeDavisSoccer) February 29, 2020

This is so incredibly, comically bad. I LOVE MLS I MISSED YOU SO MUCH
pic.twitter.com/YgPEllLHga

— Kylo Force Choking Appreciator (@LindsayAdaire) February 29, 2020

Doing my yearly ritual of watching every game of MLS opening day, it's kind of crap, but I love it. #MLSisBack

— Closet Kickboxer (@CKickboxer) February 29, 2020

So what are your thought on Major League Soccer and the quality of the league?

Will Qatar 2022 happen as planned?

Qatar is on my mind recently. I booked a flight last week to Africa on Qatar Airways and two days later I met a lovely family currently living in the country along the Arabian Peninsula. Being a football fan, I asked about the next World Cup. He assured me that the country is ready, the stadiums are beautiful and he is expecting the games to be successful. Personally, I’m still skeptical and think the situation is ridiculous.

Since the announcement that FIFA had awarded the 2022 games to the tiny gulf nation, there’s been nothing but controversy and confusion surrounding the games. These issues include, the exploitation of migrant workers, Qatar’s human rights violations, including its stance on homosexuality, the fact that alcohol is banned, the country has no real football history, the nation’s intense heat has led to the entire soccer/football world being forced to alter their domestic seasons in order to accommodate the tiny nation. Every previous World Cup has been held during the summer when most leagues are in their off season. Qatar 2022 is planned for the winter. Basically it was a corrupt decision on FIFA’s part which was made due to bribery.

I still think there’s a possibility that Qatar will be stripped of the games.

Last month, tensions between Iran and the US rose when a US drone strike killed an Iranian military leader. Iran retaliated and the idea of travelling to Qatar for the World Cup started to look less appealing.

In fact, the US Men’s team was planning a three week training camp in Qatar. That was cancelled after the US government issued warnings for Americans to avoid that part of the world.

As of now the games are still planned for November and December 2022 in the Middle East. I am hoping that FIFA realizes its mistake and moves the games to a more deserving and stable part of the world.

What are your thoughts on Qatar 2022?

Pelé Soccer opens in Times Square

After the colossal failure that was the NFL Experience in Times Square (it lasted only ten months), I was somewhat surprised to read about the recent opening of Pelé Soccer in Times Square.

According to a press release from SGB Media, “Pelé Soccer Times Square is a destination retail experience that puts Pelé’s legacy and love for the game front and center.”

Of course, the name Pelé needs no introduction to soccer fans, especially here in New York. It’s been over 40 years but Pelé helped raise the profile of soccer in the city and throughout the country when he played for the New York Cosmos from 1975 to 1977.

Pelé Soccer Times Square is located at 1560 Broadway and is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Soccer fans will love the in store experience as it features a stadium-inspired design concept. Visitors will enter the store by walking through a tunnel-like hallway lined with memorabilia. The main floor resembles an actual soccer field with stadium-style floodlights and interactive areas. One area will have bleachers with large screens so visitors can watch matches while they shop.

Pelé himself spoke of the opening of the shop in New York.

I am thrilled that Pelé Soccer has come to New York City, a place where soccer fans from all walks of life can come together to share their love for the game. New York was once my home, and I still think of those memories fondly. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have a place in the Big Apple once again.

Pelé Soccer will also sell gear and merchandise online. In checking out the site I was impressed by the extensive inventory available for sale. For example, under “countries” you can find shirts and kits from all over the globe. For fun I clicked on Estonia, and sure enough there was merchandise.

Pelé Soccer opened its first location in Orlando in 2017 followed by Miami Beach this past summer. There are plans for future store locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, London, Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, Tokyo, and more.

Iranian women allowed to attend a live soccer match for the first time in 40 years

I truly believe that soccer unites the world. It is played from one end of the globe to the other and is the most popular sport in the world. It brings people together and unites fans in a common cause.

When I read this story about Iranian women being allowed to attend a soccer match for the first time since 1979 it made me realize just how important the sport can be to many. For those of us who are free to make our own choices, we often take for granted something as simple as attending a sporting event.

This story began earlier this year when Sahar Khodayar wanted to attend a match being played by her favorite team, Esteghlal. Khodayari attempted to enter the stadium dressed as a man and was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. She feared being jailed for six months and set herself on fire to protest the arrest and advance the cause of women’s rights in Iran.

In reaction to the death of Khodayari, FIFA and women’s rights campaigners put pressure on the Iranian FA to allow women to attend its national match last week versus Cambodia.

3000 tickets were allocated for women who had to sit in an exclusive “women’s only” section of the stadium. The women in attendance were seen cheering, waving flags and just enjoying the game.

One of the women in attendance was quoted saying, “It was really a very big wish. Really, thank you for letting us come. I’m shaking. Thank you.”

While this was a step forward, Iran still has a ways to go to change how it treats women sports fans. The fact that the women had to sit in their own section rather than with their family and friends needs to be addressed. Also, the women were allowed to attend a match featuring the national team. They are currently banned from attending league matches.

Iran won the match 14-0 and afterwards the male players walked towards the women’s section to thank them for their support.

When asked about the presence of women at the stadium a government spokesman, Ali Rabiei said:.

The government has a positive view of the presence of women in stadiums. The infrastructure of Azadi stadium is ready for the presence of women. But the cultural and mental infrastructure must be ready.

This is a great step forward for the women of Iran. Let’s see where this goes from here. What are your thoughts on this?