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The Danish sportswear company Hummel, which sponsors the Danish team, revealed that its logos will disappear from the shirts it will supply to the team in a bold protest once morest Qatar because of its record, which human rights organizations describe as “poor” in human rights.
Qatar faces intense criticism from rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers, thousands of whom have died or were injured in the arduous construction of infrastructure needed for the World Cup.
“With the new Danish national team shirt, we wanted to send a double message. The shirt is not only inspired by the 1992 European Championship, in honor of the greatest achievement of Danish football, but also a protest once morest Qatar and its human rights record,” the company said on Instagram.
This shirt carries with it a message.
We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives.
We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation. pic.twitter.com/7bgMgK7WzS
— hummel (@hummel1923) September 28, 2022
“We don’t want to be visible during a tournament that claimed thousands of lives,” the brand added, referring to the deaths of workers in Qatari facilities.
For its part, Qatar said that the company’s decision to obliterate its logo on the shirts “devalues the progress” made by the country in the field of human rights, and said that “only three workers” died in accidents.
Doha said it had made “important labor market reforms” in recent years and refused to “underestimate its sincere commitment to protecting the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built stadiums for the World Cup and other tournaments”.
Besides the shirt wearing the traditional red color of Denmark, the only Scandinavian country to qualify for the World Cup, Hummel also introduced a gray and black shirt with an almost invisible logo denoting ‘the color of mourning’.
The company posted a similar message on Twitter that comes following a series of protests by human rights groups once morest the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar.
After Denmark secured qualification for the World Cup last year, the country’s football association said it was taking a series of measures to highlight human rights issues in the emirate.
He added that team sponsors will give way to messages critical of Qatar while also reducing the number of trips to the country to avoid commercial activities promoting the events of the World Cup hosts.
Sponsors and sports brands have taken radical stances by country. In Denmark, for example, the shirts that national team players will wear during training will bear “critical messages”, knowing that two companies sponsoring these shirts (Danske Spiel and Arbeidernes) have agreed to replace the phrases with their logos.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on FIFA to allocate $440 million to support a compensation scheme for workers, equivalent to the amount to be distributed in World Cup prizes.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of gay and transgender Ballon d’Or fans traveling to see the finals in Qatar, which criminalizes and promotes same-sex relations.
Since awarding the 2022 soccer World Cup to Qatar, the tiny Gulf emirate has come under fire, particularly with regard to migrant workers’ rights.
