Who is Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, emir of Qatar and host of the most criticized World Cup in history

Thursday October 13. Astana, Kazakhstan. Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Measures in Asia (CICA). While the emir of qatarTamim bin Hamad al Thani, meets with the president Russian, Vladimir Putin, Moscow launches a new barrage of missiles in Ukraine, as part of its invasion. The sheikh, however, is not taken for granted. On the contrary, it highlights his good relationship with the Kremlin.

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“After what Russia He was very successful in organizing the 2018 World Cuphas given us enormous support, especially in terms of logistics and organization […] of the 2022 World Cup″, declared the monarch. And let there be no doubt: his words were addressed to Putin, to whom he said: “I’m very happy to see you, Mr. President. Thank you”.

At just 42 years old, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani he is the heir to a 150-year dynasty and therefore must be pragmatic. Fourth son of his father, Hamad bin Khalifa Al ThaniSecond to his mother, he graduated from the Royal Academy at Sandhurst, the British Army’s initial officer training center, and was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Qatar Armed Forces.

Since then his rise was unstoppable and he assumed full power at the age of 33. But before, in 2005, he founded Qatar Sports Investmentsa sovereign wealth fund in charge of investing money from oil and natural gas, and which between 2011 and 2012 became the owner of the club Paris Saint Germainwhere the megacracks play today Leo Messi, Neymar Y Kylian Mbappe.

Football is not a less pleasure for the emir. In fact, according to an investigation by the German-speaking Swiss channel SRF, Al Thani would have organized “a network of espionage against FIFA itself to be absolutely certain that they were not going to choose another venue” for the 2022 World Cup, a follow-up “to high-ranking officials” how hard “at least 9 years”. Let us remember that the decision for Qatar to host the World Cup, which begins this Sunday the 20th, was made more than a decade ago.

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Sins and criticism

who last week exploded: “Since earning the honor of hosting the World Cup, Qatar has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced”, the emir recently declared, complaining about the criticism that, according to him, is “categorically false”. What was she referring to?

May Romanos, researcher specializing in labor rights at Amnesty International, recalls that, when Qatar was chosen by FIFA, it lacked stadiums, hotels and adequate transportation to organize the event. Hence they began to receive many workers from Pakistan, Nepalese and Philippines, among other countries known for their cheap labor. “From 2010 to 2018 was the peak of construction and foreigners arrived as part of a system that facilitated their exploitation and abuse says the specialist. They couldn’t quit their jobs because they could be charged with fleeing, which meant arrest and deportation. Even if the employer did not process the residence permit, they were responsible and expelled them”.

With His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, I had an extensive, very fraternal and fruitful conversation in which we discussed topics of interest that come to strengthen our relations. This visit will be a great success for our Peoples. pic.twitter.com/MYQchBVw59

– Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) June 15, 2022

“Initially, Qatar denied the problem, but in 2018 it signed an agreement with the International Labor Organization and, since then, introduced some reforms –adds the specialist. However, now what fails is the implementation. Many do not get paid and, although they can take their case to trial, these last for many months”.

Criticisms not only point to the employment situation. Those displaying flags in the colors of the community LGBTAccording to “El Confidencial”, they could end up in jail between 7 and 11 years.

Unpostponable opportunity

Still, says the Panamanian political analyst and specialist in international business Miguel Sánchez Ferrán, the emir’s image has not been affected. “He does not give conferences or interviews, but he recently spoke about the World Cup. Advised by his communication team, he said that the rights of the LGBT community would be respected, but based on his principles”. What do you mean? There are clues in his handling of alcohol intake. “Many fans have complained that it can only be taken during the 90 minutes that the matches last.”.

Sánchez Ferrán senses that there will be protests from the participating federations and that, despite being tall, they will resonate. In fact, these have already begun: those selected from Australia They have criticized the host’s positions for not respecting the human rights of the LGBT community. In the same way, adds the analyst, the show will not make people forget the possible abuses that occur during the event. “For example, during Russia 2018, there were several cases of homophobia that came to light. We’ll see how the Qataris deal with it”.

“Qatar wants to show the West that they are different from their neighbors, that they are modern, but they have not succeeded because they are still carried away by their morals -notes-. He says that fans can go, but they have to respect their customs. That is why I consider that they are not ready to organize this type of event that should be a meeting point to have fun and be free.”.

Romans concludes: “Many people suffered and lost their lives for this event to happen, many are still not paid. But I think that the World Cup is an opportunity to improve the human rights situation, it is an opportunity for Qatar and FIFA to come together to help people”.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.