Watching The 2022 World Cup at Champion Hill
18th Nov 2022
If you’re a Dulwich Hamlet supporter, you may be as conflicted about this year’s World Cup as we are. From migrant worker deaths and the denial of LGBTQI+ and women’s rights to the simple fact it’s in winter, this year’s tournament leaves a sour taste in our mouths. Regardless of the controversies, the fact remains that this World Cup is going ahead, but that doesn’t mean we must sit back quietly and enjoy the football without sharing some views and looking at what we can do to help mitigate some of the harm.
At Dulwich Hamlet, the Supporters’ Trust is working closely with the Club to ensure we are well-educated and can raise awareness and funds for important organisations along the way. Below you’ll find information on the tournament and these issues, a list of resources and tips, and how we will be showing the World Cup 2022 below.
Watching the World Cup 2022 at the Club Bar
Yes, the Club will be showing the England games, but there will be a key difference. Those looking to watch this tournament will be asked to pay a minimum donation of £10 for their table with all proceeds going to two charities;
Give Out - LGBTQI RIGHTS IN MENA
This will be for a table of six and we will only be showing the England group games for now. We hope you’ll agree that this is a forward-thinking and proactive way of supporting causes that this World Cup has impacted whilst being able to enjoy the games.
It’s worth noting, you don’t need to book a table to see the game, you can still turn up and entry is free. There will be QR codes placed around the bar and we encourage you to give what you can to help these amazing charities. There is more information about the charities within the Club’s main article.
Travel and safety on game days
This Fan Girl Pub Finder
The Club is proud to be one of the first to sign up to the This Fan Girl Pub Finder, which aims at creating a safe haven for female and non-binary football supporters. We are working closely with staff at the Club and This Fan Girl to implement changes around the ground - as well as reinforcing those we already have in place - and we urge fans to speak up if they feel we can be doing anything better to help our female and non-binary contingent feel 100% safe. The TFG site also has a number of fantastic resources.
Ask For Angela
You may have noticed these in our women’s bathrooms already. If you are receiving unwanted attention, simply head to the bar and ask for “Angela”. Our staff will assist you in a subtle manner away from the situation, be it helping you find your friend or group, calling you a taxi, or calling the bar security.
Get yourself about safely
The vast majority of games will be in darkness so do make sure you are using safe routes to and from the ground. The park outside the Club isn’t lit after dark so please avoid this and leave 5 minutes earlier to get to and from East Dulwich station safely, walking there via the road that leads from Sainsburys onto Dog Kennel Hill.
Other Routes around the Club
Here are the local and most popular routes to and from the ground:
Buses:
- P13 - New Cross Gate to Streatham - stop N in Sainsburys car park
- 42 - Liverpool Street to East Dulwich Sainsburys (via Dulwich Village/Herne Hill) - stop N in Sainsburys car park
- 176 - Tottenham Court Road to Penge - stops L (south) and D (north) on Dog Kennel Hill
- 185 - Victoria to Lewisham - - stops L (south) and D (north) on Dog Kennel Hill
- 40 - Aldgate to Dulwich Library - - stops L (south) and D (north) on Dog Kennel Hill
Trains:
- East Dulwich Station - Southern trains to London Bridge, East Croydon and Beckenham Junction
- Denmark Hill Station - Southern, Southeastern, Thameslink and Overground trains to Victoria, Clapham Junction, Dartford, Dalston Junction, Blackfriars, Sevenoaks and more
Please note timetables may vary at weekends or due to engineering works - we recommend checking Citymapper or National Rail apps. There could also be potential strikes in the near future.
Safety apps
There are plenty of apps and resources out there already that help you walk from A to B safely. We have listed a few below that have been downloaded and researched by our Board Members:
- Path
With Path, you can set up emergency contacts, it will show you busier, well-lit and safer routes, and it will notify you when you’re heading in the wrong direction.We also love that you can circle areas of concern which are then reported to the app as well, making that route safer for anyone using it.
- bSafe - Never Walk Alone
We thought this was appropriately named for a football tournament. bSafe has an alarm key phrase function as well as alarm, SOS service and recording functionality.
- Shake To Safety
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.photon.shake2safety&hl=en_GB&gl=US
With this app, you can log in your emergency contacts and shake your phone when in trouble. There is also a siren. It works with a locked screen AND with no internet connection. This one is so easy to use.
Ethical concerns around the Qatar World Cup
Migrant Workers’ Rights
Approximately two million migrant workers helped create this World Cup from those building the stadiums, to crowd control, taxi services, and hotel staff, as well as major infrastructure projects. Workers have been imported from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Kenya among other nations, labouring to build airports, roads, public transport systems, hotels and a whole new city. Simply put, this World Cup would not be happening without them. However, Qatar’s treatment of these migrant workers - largely from African and Asian countries - has been atrocious and well-documented.
Thousands of migrant workers are believed to have died as a result of unsafe working conditions since the country was awarded the World Cup. An investigation by the Guardian put this figure at circa 6,500 people. However, according to Amnesty International, because Qatar routinely issues death certificates for its migrant workers without investigating them, citing ‘natural causes’ after young men die after working long hours in extreme heat, it’s feared the number could be much higher. Over 15,021 non-Qataris have died in Qatar since 2010 (when the World Cup was awarded), and without investigations into the cause of death - with unexplained deaths recorded at a staggering 70%, these workers’ families are left without explanation or closure.
In addition to the unsafe conditions, the Kafala sponsorship system, which is widespread throughout Gulf nations, gives private citizens and companies almost total control over migrant workers’ employment and immigration status, leaving workers with little recourse in the face of these conditions. The Council on Foreign Relations describes this system: “Workers’ employment and residency visas are linked and only sponsors can renew or terminate them, the system endows private citizens—rather than the state—with control over workers’ legal statuses, creating a power imbalance that sponsors can exploit… workers need their sponsor’s permission to transfer jobs, end employment, and enter or exit the host country”. They can be deported or imprisoned even for trying to flee abuse. The system has been accused of being tantamount to modern slavery.
Despite promising reform in recent years, meaning employees can leave the country with their employer’s permission and change jobs, these updates are extremely below the usual standards.
Persecution of LGBTQ+ people
Qatar’s legal system is informed by both the country’s Penal Code, and Sharia law. Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Penal Code 2004, which criminalises acts of ‘sodomy’ and ‘sexual intercourse’ between people of the same sex. These provisions carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. Both men and women are criminalised under this law. The Constitution of Qatar designates Islam as the state religion, and Islamic law as the main source of legislation. As such, in addition to the Penal Code, Qatar operates an interpretation of Sharia law which criminalises sexual activity between men, under which it is possible that the death penalty can be imposed.
Human Rights Watch reported recently that as recently as September 2022, LGBTQ+ people have been arrested and ill-treated in detention by Qatar Preventive Security Department. Ill-treatment included beatings and sexual harassment, while security forces arrested people in public in response to their gender expression, and unlawfully searched their phones. LGBTQ+ people’s online activity has been monitored and used against them. Transgender women have also been subjected to conversion therapy practices as a condition of their release from custody. Several transgender or bisexual Qatari women interviewed by Human Rights Watch described the circumstances of their detentions in stark and disturbing terms, recalling physical abuse they suffered at the hands of the police. Security forces target resident Qatari citizens as well as people from other countries - one woman reported that LGBTQ+ people from other countries, including Morocco, the Philippines and Nepal, were also detained with her.
Rasha Younes of HRW’s LGBT rights programme, recently told the Guardian: “As Qatar advances its surveillance capabilities including inside football stadiums, the possibility of LGBT Qataris being persecuted for publicly supporting LGBT rights will remain long after the fans have gone. If an individual were even to retweet a post about affirmative LGBT rights this individual could be targeted long after the World Cup is over and in ways that we may not have access to.”
Women’s Rights
Male guardianship laws govern the rights and freedoms of women in Qatar. A 2021 Human Rights Watch report observed that women are denied the right to make decisions about major aspects of their lives, including marriage, study, work, travel and some aspects of reproductive healthcare. Unmarried women under 25 must seek permission from male guardians in all of these areas, and husbands can restrict their wives’ decision-making even after that age, including enforcing travel bans.
Women are also not allowed to be their children’s primary guardian, even if they are divorced and have been granted legal custody. These restrictions leave female Qatari citizens with very few options when trying to escape violence or other abuse from their husbands or families. These rules violate Qatar’s own constitution as well as international law, and are often enforced haphazardly, with even women whose age or marital status should exempt them from certain aspects of it being restricted nonetheless.
Support Local Grassroots & Women’s Football
With no Premiership absorbing your attention, turn your sights to your local grassroots men’s and women’s football, and the wider pyramid of women’s football. We recommend, of course, that you start with Champion Hill’s finest. This includes our hotly anticipated FA Cup Fixture vs Gillingham in Sunday 27th November that we want every supporter there causing a heck of a lot of noise! This is the first time our women’s team have made it to the second round of the FA Cup so stick it in our diaries.
We’ve been subjected to a few postponements as of late but you can find the latest Dulwich Hamlet men’s and women’s team fixtures on our website and follow both teams on Twitter and Instagram.
Resources
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/24/will-qatar-and-fifa-remedy-abuse-migrant-workers
https://www.antislavery.org/world-cup-2022-the-reality-for-migrant-workers-in-qatar/
202211mena_qatar_worldcup_reportersguide_2.pdf (hrw.org)
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-kafala-system
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/24/qatar-security-forces-arrest-abuse-lgbt-people
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/29/qatar-male-guardianship-severely-curtails-womens-rights