The presentation of the uniforms with which the Danish national team will play the Qatar World Cup, which starts on November 20, has caused a controversy between Hummel, the supplier of the Danish team, and the Supreme Committee of Qatar 2022. "We do not want to be visible during a tournament that has cost the lives of thousands of people”, explained the Nordic brand, based in Aarhus, which has lowered the tonality of its emblem and the chevrons on the sleeves of its shirts until they almost disappear.
The organizers did not take even 24 hours to respond. “We dispute Hummel's claim that the tournament has cost the lives of thousands of people. In addition, we wholeheartedly reject the trivialization of our true commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built the World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects," the Supreme Committee statement said.
In fact, Qatar only recognizes three deaths of workers in the construction of the fields, a calculation that is questioned by NGOs, who have denounced the working conditions of the workers. A study by The Guardian newspaper estimated that 6,751 people have died on construction sites since FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar in 2010.
"We support the Danish team to the end, but that is not the same as supporting Qatar as the host country," Hummel insisted. The third shirt is completely black, which could be interpreted as mourning the deceased workers, although it remains to be seen if Denmark uses it. At the moment in the group stage their rivals will be Tunisia, France and Australia.
Hummel's is not the only gesture of protest that is expected. Eight of the 13 European teams that will participate in the World Cup intend to wear special bracelets during the tournament. The captains of England, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Wales, Switzerland and, again, Denmark will try to wear a badge with a heart in the colors of the rainbow in favor of equality and tolerance and as a complaint against the foul rights for homosexuals in the Asian country. This group of federations have requested permission from FIFA, which does not like political demonstrations in its matches.
