Qatar’s Security Cooperation with Iran to Control Iranian Spectators
Qatar’s security cooperation with Iran to control Iranian spectators of the 2022 Qatar World Cup games began amidst international public protests concerning human rights conditions in Qatar and various issues regarding foreign workers and different social groups in the country. Hosting the world’s most significant sporting event in a country like Qatar has become a significant topic for political experts on one hand and sports experts on the other, not just this year or last year, but for several years.
Special Situation in Qatar
The special situation in Qatar and the social and political control of internal interactions by the country’s ruling system is nothing new. Qatar has been well aware of the public sensitivity regarding its hosting of major world football teams and the World Cup for several years. It cannot be expected that the Qataris were surprised or caught off guard by the signs of international public anger about their hosting.
The process leading to the awarding of the World Cup hosting by FIFA during the tenure of its notorious president Sepp Blatter was so corrupt, and the political and financial interactions Qatar engaged in to secure the hosting were so blatant that it left a bad taste primarily for the cook himself. The result of growing public sensitivity about Qatar’s hosting was the formation of a special situation in the country.
It was natural that reports about the dire situation of foreign workers, who bore almost the entire burden of construction and infrastructure development, stadiums, and facilities for the tournament, led Qatari officials to conclude that the only way to maximally control internal interactions and events and to curb the spread of news about worker deaths, living conditions, rights, and the treatment of foreigners by Qataris was necessary.
The main task and priority were naturally widespread financial influence in the media, using sports and non-sports celebrities, and most importantly, the leverage over European and American politicians, each of whom was in some way indebted to Qatari money.
The Cup Began and the Situation Became More Special
While the special situation in Qatar naturally continued with the tools and strategies mentioned, and the Qataris launched a new wave of media activities to promote the grandeur and glory of their World Cup hosting, the weeks leading up to the tournament’s opening day sounded the alarm for the Qataris.
International opinions found the new reports about the situation of foreign workers alarming, and concerns about social and sexual minorities were also raised. The rights of homosexuals and their severe restrictions in Qatar suddenly became an important issue. The Qataris suddenly realized that the massive presence of foreign spectators and the stadium conditions could be a serious threat.
The behavior of players, interviews, symbols, and their jerseys were an additional threat. In this more special situation, maximum control over everything happening in Qatar became necessary. The Qataris managed to use the same leverage of dependency on foreign officials to compel figures like the FIFA president and the French president to openly support them.
Restrictions on alcohol consumption that were suddenly imposed and warnings about carrying homosexual symbols in stadiums were also accompanied by the support and confirmation of the FIFA president, which ultimately led to team captains being banned from wearing armbands in support of homosexuals.
Iranians Took Control of the Situation
The World Cup and Iran’s games in this tournament have been more influenced by internal developments in our country and the public protests and demands of Iranians than anything else. It is unbelievable that the refusal of our national team players to sing the national anthem in the match against England and their compulsion to sing it in the match against Wales gained more importance for international journalists and media than the course and events of the games themselves.
British and European sports and football experts, both when Iran’s game against England resulted in a heavy defeat and when our team defeated Wales, pointed to the pressures applied to the players. The presence of Iranian spectators in the stadiums and their carrying of symbols and chanting of various slogans drew significant attention, and the game against England clearly became a platform for bringing the voice of the people’s demands onto the sports field.
Alarm for Iranians and Qatari Security Measures
A sports journalist from Sky News sounded the alarm about Qatari security cooperation with Iranian security forces to control Iranian spectators. He provided a comprehensive report before the start of the Iran-Wales match on the situation of Iranian spectators, their symbols, jerseys, and banners, and what they did during the game.
He specifically mentioned that a young Iranian girl holding a national team jersey with the name Mahsa Amini and the number 22, in memory of her age when she was victimized, was removed from the stadium by Qatari security officials. The fate of this young Iranian girl is unknown.
Now, following the activities of a hacker group, new documents have emerged indicating prior agreements between Qatari officials and Iranians to control Iranian spectators. The hacker group Black Reward, which made headlines by hacking Fars News Agency and releasing numerous and diverse documents, has published documents indicating deep and dangerous cooperation between the two sides that apparently has been in place for some time.
Qataris provided the identities of Iranian ticket buyers for World Cup games in a detailed list to Iranian security officials, and it is natural that the groundwork for controlling and tracking them during and after the World Cup has been set. Additionally, the Qataris have promised the Iranians to assist as much as possible in controlling spectators and preventing protests and carrying protest symbols. Therefore, the confrontation with Iranian spectators is not surprising, and now there are serious concerns about the continuation of the tournament and the situation of Iranian spectators, and more importantly, the fate of spectators whose identities are fully at the disposal of Iranian security officials.
In this regard, we also recommend the following topics:
- The Homeland of Football and Politics
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