Qatar World Cup

cuttingtimber22

Lost Lager is rotten stuff made from leftover bread.

Naos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846710#Comment_119846710

Fair enough.

I'm sure people die from choking on hardboiled sweets. Will that do?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846836#Comment_119846836

If you don't like it don't drink it.

Meanwhile we have to deal with this corrupt sporting organisation and human rights abusing government who have joined together to hijack what was once something for football fans to celebrate.

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846810#Comment_119846810

People have been calling out every single brutal, despotic, totalitarian Arabian Peninsula based regime for the last near 100 years. Nobody gives a $hit, especially the current and countless establishments over in Washington DC, the masters of the "free world". Hilarious to witness a brewery has more moral gumption than the hypocrites that claim to be the worldwide authority for it

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846941#Comment_119846941

I think Fifa lost their morality a long long time ago. Qatar was just a further step in the direction of darkness.

Ronan|Raven

**** Brewdog and **** Qatar.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846941#Comment_119846941

So lets all go to brewdog to watch it? Showing it is a bit of a cop out for them no?

It's probably just to remind people it will be on in the bars.

I remember when they didn't show sports in their bars and told you to go drink Stella and watch it somewhere else.

Theyve a bang of FIFA off them.

cmac2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846952#Comment_119846952

Moral gumption? Its virtue signalling marketing nonsense, if you can't see that you must be fairly naive.

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119847009#Comment_119847009

I don't think they have any moral gumption, That's why I said its hilarious to see a corporate Brewery portray more moral gumption than the hypocrites that claim to be the masters of it. Can you see that?

Strumms

It’s a publicity stunt 100%….

Brewdog, they couldn’t give a flying gibbon about human rights issues in Qatar.

they were founded 15 years ago.

Human rights abuses have been ongoing in Qatar for decades… in the intervening years since their foundation, have brewdog been actively encouraging any sort of campaign to highlight human rights issues there, anywhere ? Nope. Qatar or elsewhere else ? Nope.

brewdog are on record for apologising to their staff via a statement last summer for fostering a culture of fear and treating their employees like objects. Just last summer. Their own admission. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/10/brewdog-staff-craft-beer-firm-letter

so when it comes to any shenanigans like this I’ll gladly ignore their sentiments.

Also…

fined for sending beer to the US in contravention of US federal law.

fined for sacking an employee who was going blind.

All covered by credible news sources…. And liability admitted.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119847002#Comment_119847002

They sell beer for a living you can chose to drink it or not.

Not comparable to running a country like a personal fiefdom governed by laws from the 12th century.

Not to mention the the so called football outfit.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119847156#Comment_119847156

I choose to drink it personally. As I do with all beer ha

chrisd2019

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270832/brewdog-co-anti-sponsors-qatar-world-f-k-cup

Will be watching what soccer matches are of interest to me, when and where it suits me, stunts like this for sure will not interest me or most of the world.

humberklog

I thought maybe Qatar had a stronger case regarding "immigrant workers rights" than Brew Dog.

But hey....

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058270832/brewdog-co-anti-sponsors-qatar-world-f-k-cup

Great publicity move I guess.

It’s yet another poor attempt to court controversy in order to gain some publicity for themselves. If it was any way clever I’d applaud them for it, but it’s an opportunistic money-grab, no different than what FIFA are doing by having Qatar host the World Cup. Like hosting the Olympics in Japan in spite of their appalling record on Human Rights, it’s no longer about sports, it’s about the sponsorship and merchandising.

Brewdog claiming to be anti-sponsors is nothing more than the other cheek of the same arse - they’re making money off sponsorship and merchandising too, and hoping to gain greater revenues from the long-term association, same as FIFA are doing in Qatar.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846385#Comment_119846385

Yeah David Beckham and some Irish politicians

https://extra.ie/2022/10/08/news/senator-gerard-craughwell-praises-qatar

Well done to both Scotland and Ireland for boycotting the world cup.

cokeiscrap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846411#Comment_119846411

I for one am glad that people, no matter where are standing up to the corruption of Fifa, Qatar and World Cup sponsors like Coca-Cola should be treated the exact same.

Its great that we cry out for the protection of Human Rights globally, but here in Ireland, Coca-Cola/ Ballina Beverages ripped up their own Human Rights policy and threatened the employees in Mayo. God only knows how employees in South America/Africa, harvesting caffeine are treated by their respective employers while this horrible company turns a blind eye or reverts to the local laws rather than their Human Rights policy.

Dunnes Stores workers stood up to the Apartheid regime in South Africa but will still sell that crap despite their terrible Human Rights policy and also the fact that they are one of the worlds leading polluters.

The next few weeks it will be almost impossible to get around our supermarkets without seeing pallets of this junk on "offer". If you can, please buy Pepsi, Freeway or any other soft drink products other than Coca-Cola, Monster or Costa.

Have a read of the below:

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/spotlight-coca-cola

Overheal

So it looks as though despite earlier aspersion in the thread it looks like there is actually direct economy happening between the brand and qatar, so it is a 'sponsorship arrangement' and the company has received revenue and profits etc. from sale in qatar if reporting is accurate (and other allegations of impropriety, like advantaging free labor in the qatar economy)

https://www.just-drinks.com/news/brewdog-beer-on-sale-in-qatar-despite-craft-brewers-anti-world-cup-protest-campaign/

But this also isn't exactly the Washington Post.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119850357#Comment_119850357

I’m thinking they won’t even be slightly embarrassed about it -

https://twitter.com/FleetStSnitch/status/1589603388622184448?s=20&t=dgM-f1Eoh9Jyi87iwe1p6w

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119850394#Comment_119850394

Yeah this is going to backfire spectacularly isn't it.

I even re-read the OP announcement: they're happy to keep all their proceeds from both before and after 'the tournament' aren't they.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119850423#Comment_119850423

Yep -

In a separate statement, a BrewDog spokesperson added it “thought long and hard about whether we wanted to show matches in our bars but decided to do so for two reasons.

“One, if you love craft beer and you also love football you shouldn’t be denied the chance to enjoy them together just because FIFA is corrupt.

“Two, all profits from Lost Lager sold during the tournament will be donated to human rights charities. We will raise a lot more money if we show the matches in our bars”

It added that the company is “evaluating a number of charity partners and that “net profits will be calculated at the end of December and all donations will be made in January 2023.”

When their brand marketing didn’t wash, they tried to distract from what they were doing by pointing to other brands doing the same thing to take the heat off themselves -

BrewDog then took a shot at other companies, saying: “Apple sells iPhones in Qatar – that doesn’t mean it endorses human rights abuses. Neither do we. We are doing our bit to raise awareness of these scandals and injustices and will keep doing so.” 

“If people want to attack brands, maybe they’d be better off turning their attention to the likes of Adidas, Kia and Visa who are all official partners.”

https://www.cityam.com/brewdog-signed-beer-distribution-deal-in-qatar-despite-anti-sponsorship-campaign/?amp=1

People wouldn’t be taking any notice of BrewDog if they hadn’t made a big song and dance about announcing themselves as an “anti-sponsor” of the World Cup in the first place.

Overheal

BrewDog deflecting like people camp outside of their brewery for the latest BrewDog 13 Pro to compete against the robust flavor of the only other beer in the world, the Samsung Stout.

They gonna learn today, as they say in the south

AllForIt

On Newsnight this evening it was reported that the Welsh FA are considering 'safe houses' for lgbt people attending the WC. They didn't elaborate any more than that but if they meant they are going to put all the gay men in the same hotel then that's both the stupidest and funniest idea I've ever heard, lol.

Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate says that gay men would be embraced in the locker room. Pfffffff lol.

https://twitter.com/PinkNews/status/1590153447692636162

Real Donald Trump

Politics has no place in football!

xxxxxxl

Serious question is anyone going to boycott this and not watch it. I only ever watch football when it's the world cup I really cant bring myself to watch this one. China/russia was bad enough.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851741#Comment_119851741

It's not for football reasons that the world cup was awarded to Qatar (or Russia)

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851771#Comment_119851771

Yes, I won't be watching it

lmao10

If you're not watching, you're not missing much. Todays football game is incredibly boring. Too much passing back to the keeper in every possession. Divas on the pitch who are just keen to get back to their mansions and wags.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851741#Comment_119851741

Never quite sure whether people genuinely mean this for reasons of naivety, or just because they have a right-wing viewpoint and don't like that the politics in football tends to be anti-establishment/left-wing/woke whatever.

As a big example, keeping politics out of football would mean you disapprove of Solidarity/Lech Walesa using Gdansk home games as a method of recruitment, and televised home European games as an avenue to chant rebellion songs at their fellow Poles and plead for help from the international community. That they should have found a different way to take on the secret police, army and Moscow, keeping politics out of football.

I'll boycott this world cup because i'm so concerned about migrant labour, and i'll tell everyone about it on my Chinese sweatshop phone, made in a factory that put up nets because so many employees were jumping off the roof

Potatoeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119844168#Comment_119844168

Meanwhile China has concentration camps, do you boycott them too? All electrical equipment coming from there, what about iPhones and the conditions in their factories in China, what about clothes made in sweatshops? Coco plantations and child labour, precious minerals from the Congo? Good luck boycotting all that.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119851735#Comment_119851735

It really does appear as though the football will be overshadowed by politics with Southgate saying this -

Gareth Southgate also confirmed in the interview that despite it being illegal to be LGBTQ+ in Qatar, the England captain will be wearing a rainbow anti-discrimination armband during the tournament.

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/11/08/gareth-southgate-england-football-gay-player-qatar-world-cup/

And the Welsh FA saying this -

“There are discussions ongoing for having almost a safe house area for women or those in the LGBTQ community, but it’s just providing as much information for those fans who are travelling.”

https://theathletic.com/3772515/2022/11/07/wales-faw-world-cup-qatar-lgbtq/?amp=1

Whatever else happens, Channel 5 are guaranteed to get another series of Banged Up Abroad out of it knowing what English football fans are like when they go abroad -

https://www.law.ac.uk/about/press-releases/six-laws-to-be-aware-of-during-qatar-world-cup/

gormdubhgorm

It is the ‘pretence of caring’ that annoys me. I mean take Katie McCabe Ireland’s Women’s Captain for instance she says she won’t be watching the WC and urges players to ‘take a stand’.

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/i-will-be-giving-that-one-a-miss-katie-mccabe-to-avoid-qatar-world-cup-as-she-urges-players-to-take-a-stand-42127568.html

She naively thinks that Harry Kane wearing a ‘one love’ armband is going to make a difference.

Now what the article above doesn’t show, when Katie was interviewed she said she will not watch the WC - ‘Ireland are not in it’ which implied that if Ireland were in it she would have decision to make.

The way I see it the occasional person not watching the WC makes little difference, all it does is make such individuals feel good about themselves.

If a real difference was the goal (no pun intended) all the Football Associations would refuse to attend. But that is never going to happen too much money involved.

So instead we have a ‘pretence of caring’. Like the Danish football shirt manufacturers who have turned a meaningless gimmick into an advertisement. Turning the ‘pretence of caring’ into a moneymaker.

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2022/sep/28/denmark-unveil-world-cup-protest-kits-over-qatar-human-rights-record

I for one will still be watching the World Cup. Because I am not falling for this ‘pretence of caring’. It is laughable really. People only think of the ‘Human Rights’ record of Qatar at the moment because it is topical.

But no doubt the same people still buy products from China etc.

I mean I watched the USA 94 WC. But at the time I can’t remember people saying they would not watch it because America (CIA) was involved in the overthrow of democracies such as Chile, and putting Pinochet (a dictator) in charge. And that is only one example.

Sleepy

Watching the tournament on television is one thing. I won't be doing it myself but it's easy enough to argue that the advertising has already been bought, the broadcasters have already been sent and one more pair of eyeballs on the output doesn't really mean much... it's a "but sure everyone else is doing it" defence of something that even the speaker knows is wrong but it's a fairly indirect means of causing harm...

If you're actually flying over to take part, commentate or just support your home nation however, you are directly contributing to homophobia, indentured slavery, torture and murder and should be judged harshly for it.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853619#Comment_119853619

The reality is as the dust settles on the Qatar WC. What will be spoken about will be the play/goals on the pitch and everything else around it will be just background noise. And life will continue on.

If I remember correctly there was controversy about the Brazil WC in 2014- inequalities etc. But what it is most remembered for now is Germany 7 - Brazil 1.

Sleepy

Maybe. I'd suspect there'll be talk of the lower viewership figures too, not just as a result of people taking the moral stance though, the time of year it's on will have a detrimental effect on people's ability to tune in too.

Potatoeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853619#Comment_119853619

Is there any Muslim country that is pro gay, never mind the whole spectrum of LGBTQ? Do you boycott all of them. Statistics from these countries show that the general population have very negative views too. Do you think refugees from these countries don’t hold these views?

Sleepy

Honestly, yes, I avoid giving financial support to countries with poor human rights abuse records.

While it's no great loss most of the time as I'd have no interest in visiting dessert shopping malls where the main sight to see is the vulgarity of the excesses of the obscenely wealthy, it also rules out cheap package holidays to Turkey or the likes and occasionally I've had to bite my tongue for professional reasons (e.g. when I got sent to Israel on a work trip). I'm under no illusions that the loss of the couple of thousand I might spend on such a holiday will change the world, it at least lets me sleep at night with a clean conscience that I've not contributed to those human rights abuses.

Jequ0n

The closer we get to the event the more obvious it becomes that the whole human rights media circus focusses firmly on the evergreen LGBT angle. As if it’s news that some counties are eons behind the attitude that has thankfully developed in the West. Sure, boycott all you want so you can tell yourself that this made a difference. You know full well that the only way it will change in these countries it the change comes from within, not by wearing colourful arm badges.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853765#Comment_119853765

That is a tough line to carry out to its true end though, I mean the phone I am using now is full of items made in China, with materials mined in Africa etc. I have cheap runners on as we’ll probably made in some sweatshop in India/Mozambique. The worlds economy is all interconnected whether we like it or not.

Not to mention Middle Eastern countries who have heavily invested in Western Companies, property portfolios all over Europe, plus stock and so on.

Sleepy

Fully agreed gormdubhgorm, it's next to impossible to avoid doing any indirect harm to others. But that's no reason to avoid trying to minimise the damage our consumption is causing. Sure, I still have clothes from Penneys that are likely made in sweatshops but it's rare I buy clothes at all and definitely wouldn't be the sort to buy a new outfit for every big night out (or see clothes shopping as a form of entertainment), my phone no doubt has lithium mined by child labour so while I can't do without it, I'll try and get as long out of it as I can.

Short of being fortunate enough to build on a small-holding somewhere where you can be truly self-sufficient, it's impossible to "do no harm" these days. Choosing to spend one's holidays (and money) in Qatar for the World Cup, however, is an entirely avoidable evil.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846478#Comment_119846478

It's a consumer porduct like any other on the market. Might as well get upset about Hyndai providing dangerous potential weapons, McDonald's for killing people via heart attacks or strokes, catrol for destroying the planet....

So yeah - down off the soap box :)

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119853619#Comment_119853619

Nah Sleepy I don’t agree at all with the idea of guilt by association, and I don’t see it as doing anything useful towards addressing the issues you’re concerned about either. In reality all it actually achieves is the effect of performative activism - people not wanting to be seen as contributing to or facilitating the issues you’re concerned about only boycotting the event because they’re seeking your approval, not because they actually agree that what they’re doing is harmful.

It’s similar to Vegans who claim that people who aren’t vegan are directly responsible for animal cruelty. It’s a stretch is what I’m saying, maintaining other people are motivated by ill intent rather than being motivated by something else entirely, in the case of the World Cup - because they love football, or they want to support their team, or indeed they’ve never been to Qatar and want to experience it for themselves and see what all the fuss is about, and now they have an opportunity.

I do agree with you though that anyone suggesting “everyone else is doing it” as a justification for their actions is someone who knows that what they’re doing is wrong, sort of like that Brewdog beer company that announced themselves as “anti-sponsor” of the World Cup, who pointed fingers at everyone else when they were criticised for their actions which directly contradicted their ‘principled’ stance.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846710#Comment_119846710

Peanuts are toxins to some people - what's your point? Also - see point abut McDonald's above. And not everyone killed by a car is killed by "accident".

So yeah - either you're morally opposed to the sale of potentially dangerous goods or not - which is it?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119854395#Comment_119854395

I am not morally opposed to the sale of alcohol. I'm a frequent drinker. If you think the point of my post was to debate the morality of alcohol, either you are stupid, or I have not expressed my point well.

I suspect the former, but just in case, I will clarify: I'm opposed to hollow publicity stunts and corporate virtue signalling. They are using the deaths of 6,500 workers as a publicity stunt. If they really, really cared about misery and lost lives they would get out of the alcohol business.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119855163#Comment_119855163

Well, when you refer to it as a "toxin" and say that it "kills millions of people globally" you do come off as being a bit preachy about the issue. The fact that you consume it yourself makes no difference. Singling out a company or industry because it produces something that, in your mind, is unhealthy is spurious.

It's a product - like all the others I listed above - that can be used responsibly to enhance lives or irresponsibly to destroy lives. Not just beer, to be fair but also wines. And spirits. To purely see the negative side of it while ignoring the negatvie aspect of others is blinkered.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119815135#Comment_119815135

It washed away any integrity Senator Gerard Craughwell ever had

https://extra.ie/2022/10/08/news/senator-gerard-craughwell-praises-qatar

xxxxxxl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119855616#Comment_119855616

lol I remember that clown alright. Principles ehh where's my 5 star hotel.

Beasty

We only need one World Cup thread

Merged and thread title changed to cover any "Current Affairs" aspects of the tournament