Denmark are to wear a “toned down” kit at this year’s FIFA World Cup in protest at Qatar’s human rights record, sportswear maker Hummel said on Wednesday.
Qatar’s organizing committee accused Hummel of “trivializing” the country’s efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers and called on the Danish Football Union (DBU) to intervene.
The logo of the Danish sportswear brand and the Danish national badge are barely visible on the shirts the company designed for the World Cup, which is to start on Nov. 20.
Photo: AFP
Several competing nations and rights groups have criticized Qatar’s rights record and FIFA for allowing the event to be held in the state.
The new jerseys were “a protest against Qatar and its human rights record,” Hummel wrote on Instagram.
“We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,” the company said in an Instagram post that referred to reports of casualties among migrants working on Qatar’s mega infrastructure projects.
“We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation,” it said.
In addition to the main red strip and a second jersey in white, a black and gray third strip was a sign of “mourning,” the kit company said.
Denmark’s training jerseys would carry “critical messages” after the two sponsors agreed to have their logos replaced.
Qatar’s World Cup organizers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, gave a stern response that highlighted “significant reforms to the labor system” to protect workers and “ensuring improved living conditions for them.”
The committee said that there has been “robust and transparent dialogue” with the Danish soccer body that had led to “a better understanding of the progress made.”
“We dispute Hummel’s claim that this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives,” the organizers said. “Furthermore, we wholeheartedly reject the trivializing [of] our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects.”
Qatar says that only three laborers died in work-related accidents during the construction of the eight stadiums in the Doha region.
The committee said that Qatar’s reforms had been “recognized” by some international human rights groups “as a model that has accelerated progress and improved lives.”
“Like every country, progress on these issues is a journey without a finish line, and Qatar is committed to that journey,” the committee said in a statement.
“We urge the DBU to accurately convey the outcome of their extensive communication and work with the supreme committee, and to ensure that this is accurately communicated to their partners at Hummel,” it added.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or