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Qatar’s Sports-Focused Public Diplomacy Backfires
A perceived lack of real progress in the improvement of conditions for foreign labour, aggravated by a Qatari reluctance to engage in public debate beyond platitudes, is undermining the soft power goals underlying the Gulf state’s sports strategy.
The silver lining in the public relations beating Qatar is taking is that it forces international sports associations like FIFA, the world’s governing soccer body, to include issues of labour and other rights in their policy towards hosts of mega events like the 2022 World Cup. That was already evident last year when the International Olympics Committee (IOC) rejected Qatar’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics, in part, according to labour activists, because of workers’ material conditions.
FIFA, in its latest response to persistent media reporting on onerous living and working conditions of foreign workers who constitute a majority of the Gulf state’s population and are building vast infrastructure projects some of which are World Cup-related, demanded this week that Qatar report in its progress on improving living and working circumstances.
The report intended to inform testimony in mid-February in the European parliament by FIFA executive Theo Zwanziger, a former German Football Association head critical of the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar. FIFA, whose executive committee is expected to take up the issue on March 20, needs to demonstrate that Qatar is making true on pledges to improve workers’ conditions and loft words embodied in a series of statements and charters.
“FIFA expects to receive information on the specific steps that Qatar has taken since FIFA President Blatter’s last trip to Doha in November 2013 to improve the welfare and living conditions of migrant workers,” FIFA said in a statement.
In response to a three-year old campaign by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and human rights groups as well as media reporting spearheaded by Britain’s The Guardian, Qatar has pledged to increase the number of inspectors overseeing the implementation of existing rules and regulations. These provisions are widely viewed as meeting international standards despite widespread criticism of the kafala or sponsorship system that significantly restricts workers’ freedom of movement and ability to change jobs.
Qatar has also drafted a number of charters of workers’ rights, the most ambitious of which is that of the Qatar Foundation that, according to people involved in its drafting, seeks to structurally alter a labourer’s migration cycle which involves corrupt middlemen and company human resource officers. The problem is the foundation has never published the charter nor reported on progress it has made in making the migration cycle less onerous.
FIFA’s request for a progress reports follows a report in The Guardian’s Sunday paper, The Observer, according to which 185 Nepalese construction workers died last year as a result of onerous labour conditions. That would bring the number of reported Nepalese deaths over the last two years to 382. Trade unionists have focused on the Nepalese community because it accounts for up to one quarter of Qatar’s two million inhabitants. Nepalese rank among the lowest paid workers in Qatar.
“We are currently in the middle of an intensive process, which is exclusively aimed at improving the situation of workers in Qatar. Ultimately, what we need are clear rules and steps that will build trust and ensure that the situation, which is unacceptable at the moment, improves in a sustainable manner,” Mr. Zwanziger said in a statement.
The public relations beating of Qatar stems from the Gulf state’s apparent inability to draw conclusions from a failed communications strategy ever since winning its World Cup bid. Qatar failed initially to anticipate the criticism of its success driven by questions about the integrity of its bid as well as envy and jealously by those who had unsuccessfully competed against it. It subsequently surrendered the public relations battlefields to its detractors by deciding not to engage in the false hope that criticism would eventually subside.
The result is not only that Qatar is on the defensive but that it has lost significant ground in achieving a core goal of its vast investment in sports in general and soccer in particular: the projection of soft power in a bid to compensate for a lack of hard power. Soft power is a key Qatari defence and security strategy based on the realization that it will never have the military strength to defend itself irrespective of what hardware it acquires or the number of foreigners it recruits to populate its armed forces.
Sports is central to a soft power strategy designed to embed and endear Qatar in an international community in ways that would ensure that the world would come to its aid in times of need much like a US-led force expelled Iraqi occupation troops from Kuwait in 1990. Qatar has so far missed the plank with international public opinion associating it more with modern day slavery than with being a cutting edge 21st century nation that is contributing to the global good.
In an apparent decision to take more control of preparations of the World Cup, Qatar’s 33-year old emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamid al Thani, a sports enthusiast and member of the IOC executive committee, downgraded the Supreme Committee that had so far been in charge of organizing the World Cup and created a new body chaired by himself and populated by his appointees to oversee event and operational planning as well as coordination with FIFA.
In many ways, Qatar, Nepal and other labour supplying countries have much to gain from working together to tackle workers’ material living and working conditions. Kanak Mani Dixit, a prominent Nepali journalist and editor of the Kathmandu-based Himal, recently argued that Nepalese authorities and civic groups were co-responsible by allowing abuse to occur.
“The job migrants of Nepal are entrapped not only by the sponsor-manpower nexus but by a neglectful Kathmandu civil society and a government that has floundered all these years when it comes to foreign affairs and the protection of overseas citizens. The Kathmandu discourse on migrant labour is marked by a sense of fatalism—the diffidence explained perhaps by a fear of shaking the honey pot. The Gulf migrants are perceived as the luckier ones, given that the poorest of all cross the open border into the employment sump that is India,” Mr. Dixit wrote.
“While there is little or no possibility of collective bargaining within the labour-receiving Gulf countries at this stage, the sending countries including Nepal—individually and collectively—could cooperate to demand better ‘migration governance’ in the GCC region. It is a delicate task that requires research, diplomatic skill and committed activism—so that the fundamental rights of the workers are protected without exposing Nepali workers to formal or informal bans (as happened with Filipina workers, when Manila sought to raise their base income).
“As a major labour exporter, Nepal must come out of the fog and get involved in the accelerating discourse. Priority in foreign affairs must be given to the relationships with the labour-receiving countries, especially those of the Gulf and Malaysia. We must rise from the wreckage of foreign affairs, including the appointment of incapable political-appointee ambassadors, which has directly hurt the prospects of citizens working overseas,” Mr. Dixit argued, calling for the creation of a ministry for foreign employment.
Memphis Depay is one of the most popular footballers in Europe right now, and here we find out about his net worth, salary, contract, tattoos, girlfriend, and more.
Memphis Depay Net Worth and Salary
Memphis Depay has a net worth of approximately £45 million which is largely down to his football career. However, some of it could be attributed to his hobby of producing hip-hop music as well. At 32, he would only expect that amount to increase in the future.
Depay signed for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2021. While he was initially offered a contract worth €7million plus add-ons per year, Depay agreed to a 30% salary cut to help the Catalan club register him for the season. He is believed to be earning a yearly salary of £4,680,000 now at Corinthians in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
Memphis Depay Club Career
Depay started out his club career at Moordrecht as a 6-year-old. After moves to the youth teams of Sparta and PSV Eindhoven, he was promoted to the latter’s first team in the 2011-12 season. After scoring 50 goals in 124 appearances for them, he caught the eye of Manchester United in 2015.
The Red Devils signed the then 21-year-old forward, but things did not work out well for him there. Even though he won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League during his time at Old Trafford, Depay largely struggled under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, managing just 7 goals in 53 games for the club. His career received a lifeline when Olympique Lyon finally gave him an escape route in 2017.
He then became the main man in Lyon’s attack and his best season came in 2020/21, where he made the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. In his three and a half years at the club, Memphis managed 63 goals in 139 appearances. His dream move then came in the summer of 2021, when he was signed by Barcelona – who had just lost Lionel Messi to PSG – as a free agent.
Memphis Depay’s football journey continued with his move to Atletico Madrid in a significant transfer announcement on January 20, 2023. He inked a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club, marking a new chapter in his career. The initial transfer fee for this move was reported to exceed €4 million, underlining Atlético’s investment in the talented Dutchman.
Depay made an immediate impact in his new team, showcasing his goal-scoring abilities. On February 12, 2023, he netted his first goal for Atlético Madrid in a crucial 1-0 victory against Celta de Vigo.
Memphis Depay International Career
Depay has been a regular for the Netherlands and has represented them at the U15, U16, U17, U19, and U21 levels before making his bow for the senior team in his debut against Turkey in October 2013. He starred for the U17 Netherlands side that won the UEFA European Championship in 2011 and scored in the final.
He has also represented the U17 team in the U17 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Depay has a decent record for the national team so far and is one of their star players. He was particularly impressive for the senior team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and has been a permanent fixture in the squad since then.
Depay also featured for Oranje in the 2020 UEFA Euros. He scored three times during the tournament but could not help his team progress further than the last-16 stage.
Memphis Depay Music Career and Rap Albums
Depay has another talent up his sleeves. The Dutch superstar has used the fame and wealth acquired from football towards furthering a career in Music on the sides. He started out by releasing non-Album freestyles, with his debut track ‘LA Vibes’ also featuring Netherlands teammate, Quincy Promes.
He has also combined on hit tracks with Dutch hip-hop stars Winnie as well as Broederliefde. Depay released several singles including ‘No Love’, which came after he broke off his engagement with his then-fiancee, Lori Harvey. The former Lyon superstar’s debut album dropped in 2020, which was titled ‘Heavy Stepper EP’, and did fairly well on the Dutch charts.
Memphis Depay Family, Girlfriend, and Personal Life
Memphis Depay was born in 1994 to his Ghanaian father, Dennis Depay, and Dutch mother, Cora Schensema. His father supposedly walked out on his family when he was 4, which is why Memphis prefers if people address him just by his first name.
Depay famously dated model Lori Harvey, the daughter of American TV star Steve Harvey, and the couple were even engaged up until 2018, when they announced their break-up. He is believed to have also dated actress Karrueche Tran in 2015, and most recently dated American singer Chloe Bailey (2020-21).
Memphis Depay Tattoos and Cars
The star forward has numerous tattoos on his body. One of them is a tattoo on his left arm that is a tribute to his grandfather, who passed away just before Memphis’ 15th birthday. He has a tattoo that states ‘succesvol’ on the inside of his lips, which translates to ‘successful in English and a big lion inked on his back.
Memphis also has the words ‘Dream Chaser’ tattooed on his upper torso. The Dutch international also has a Christ the Redeemer tattoo on his left torso with the date ‘18.06.14’. That goal came against Australia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Depay has a large collection of cars. Some of his prized assets include a Mercedes Maybach S650 – $350,000, Rolls Royce Wraith – $600,000+, Mercedes AMG G63 – $150,000, and an Audi RS6 – $100,000. He also owned a Mercedes G-Wagon as of 2016 and is also believed to have owned a Ferrari.
Memphis Depay Sponsorships and Endorsements
Memphis Depay was sponsored by Under Armour for a while up until a supposed split in early 2021. He has sported Adidas boots heavily and even featured in a 2014 advertisement for them. Apart from them, Memphis Depay’s endorsements and sponsorships aren’t known.
Memphis Depay Social Media
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It will be a game of fine margins when Spain take on France in the first Euro 2024 semifinal on Tuesday night
A mere victory away from this summer’s showpiece event in Berlin, continental heavyweights Spain and France are set to clash in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Tuesday. Both teams have been pragmatic rather than spectacular this summer and the clash on Tuesday will be a proper tactical matchup between Didier Deschamps and Luis de La Fuente.
Spain, boasting a flawless record so far, reached Munich by eliminating the hosts, Germany in a dramatic quarter-final. La Roja struck in the dying minutes of extra time to claim a 2-1 win in Stuttgart. Dani Olmo, brought on for the injured Pedri, opened the scoring, but Germany equalized through Florian Wirtz. Just as the game seemed destined for penalties, Mikel Merino’s powerful header secured Spain’s place in the semis.
Under the guidance of Luis de la Fuente, Spain have been a formidable force. They are the only team to have won all five of their matches in the tournament. No nation in European Championship history has won six times in a single finals or posted six consecutive wins. De la Fuente, who took over from Luis Enrique, has implemented a tactical shift that has paid dividends. Spain have recorded lower possession than their opponents twice this summer, a significant departure from their ball-heavy traditional style of football.
This new approach, featuring quick passing and pace out wide, has been highly effective. Since the start of 2023, Spain has the best win percentage of any European nation, winning 15 of their 19 games under De la Fuente. Their victory in the most recent UEFA Nations League means they are now on their best winning run since the glory days of June 2010.
Spain have advanced from four of their five European Championship semi-finals, with their only defeat coming in a penalty shootout against eventual winners Italy three years ago. They now aim to reach their fifth continental final and their first since their dominant run culminated in victory at Euro 2012.
Meanwhile, France are aiming to reach their fourth European Championship final, but only their second outside of French soil. Didier Deschamps, who oversaw their 2016 final defeat to Portugal in Paris, is determined to go one better this time. Having fallen at the final hurdle in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Les Bleus will hope to make amends on the continental stage.
Since their loss in the 2022 World Cup final, France’s progress has been less smooth compared to Spain’s. They were uninspired in their last-16 win over Belgium and narrowly edged past Portugal in the quarter-finals. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan made crucial saves to take the tie into extra time, and Theo Hernandez scored the decisive penalty in Hamburg.
Concerns over the form and fitness of captain Kylian Mbappe have persisted, as Real Madrid’s newest ‘galactico’ was forced off before the shootout. Despite Mbappe’s struggles, France has managed to find a way to advance. They have scored only four goals in their five Euro 2024 matches, three of which came from penalties or own goals. The inability to find the back of the net remains a major concern in the business end of the competition.
France’s style may not be as aesthetically pleasing as Spain’s, but they have been effective. They beat Spain 2-1 in their most recent meeting, the 2021 Nations League final, and few would bet against them in this semi-final clash. SoccerSouls predicts a close clash with little to separate them on the night. We take a look at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News and Predicted XI
Spain
Spain’s close win over Germany in the last eight came with a cost. Daniel Carvajal and Robin Le Normand are both suspended for the game while midfield maestro Pedri will miss the rest of the tournament thanks to a medial collateral ligament sprain. De La Fuente will hope that his squad can make up for the three absences.
La Roja are expected to line up in their traditional 4-3-3 formation with the excellent Unai Simon in goal. Real Madrid skipper Nacho and Aymeric Laporte should hold firm at centre-back with Jesus Navas and Marc Cucurella pushing forward at wing-back.
Rodri should once again form the pivot in the midfield, with Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz pushing forward. Skipper Alvaro Morata should lead the line with the electric duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams providing support.
Predicted Playing XI (4-3-3): Simon: Navas, Nacho, Laporte, Cucurella; Olmo, Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Morata, Williams
France
With the slate wiped clean regarding bookings, France have no disciplinary issues to worry about. However, Kylian Mbappe’s nose injury remains a source of concern for Didier Deschamps and his team.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker has scored only one goal from 20 shots at Euro 2024 thus far and will need to discover his shooting boots to give France a good chance of making the final.
Deschamps is likely to continue with the 4-3-1-2 formation with the excellent Mike Maignan in goal. The AC Milan stopper should be protected by the back four of Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Theo Hernandez.
N’Golo Kante and Aurelien Tchouameni should form the double pivot in the midfield, freeing up Adrien Rabiot to push forward and help Antoine Griezmann in the number 10 role. Kylian Mbappe and Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line and hope to end their nation’s poor goalscoring form in the tournament.
Predicted Playing XI (4-3-1-2): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Rabiot; Griezmann; Kolo Muani, Mbappe
Key Stats
- Spain have advanced from four of their five European Championship semi-finals in history.
- A win on the night will see Spain become the first side to win six consecutive games in the same finals of the European Championships.
- Mike Maignan can boast a save ratio of 94%, the best ratio of any shot-stopper in the tournament.
- Both teams have faced off 36 times so far, with Spain coming out on top 16 times and France winning 13 games.
- Spain have won just one their six clashes against France at the European Championships.
Match Deciding Duel
Lamine Yamal (Spain) vs Theo Hernandez (France)
Lamal has certainly brought his A game to the tournament and will once again be Spain’s electric creator down their right flank. With Theo Hernandez and Adrien Rabiot likely to provide the thrust on the flanks for France, there will be space for Spain and Yamal to run into on the night.
This should work in the Iberian giants’ favour should Dani Olmo and Nico Williams stretch France, bringing Upamecano out of position. This should open up space for Morata to run into and cause havoc. Yamal’s eye for the audacious and his ability to get past players will certainly keep France on their toes.
Prediction
Spain 1-1 France (France to Progress on Penalties)
Given the stakes, the game is likely to be tightly contested. France have more match-winners in their squad and coupled with the absentees for Spain should give Les Bleus the advantage. The match is likely to go right down to the wire with Mike Maignan likely to come up trumps for his side in the penalty shootout.
Lionel Messi 2023 – Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements, Wife, Tattoos, Cars and More
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer to ever step foot on the green grass, and here we learn more about the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner’s net worth, salary, contract, and more.
Lionel Messi Facts
Lionel Messi Net Worth and Salary
Lionel Messi has a net worth of about $ 600 million. That figure does not come as a shock considering he is arguably the best player the world has ever seen during an age where players are paid handsomely by their clubs. This figure is largely down to his career at FC Barcelona.
The Argentine superstar left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 after 21 years at the club. He signed an astonishing deal at PSG that sees him early with a weekly salary of £500,000.
According to Jorge Mas, Messi will earn approximately $60 million per year, which includes his salary, ownership stake in Inter Miami, and signing bonus. The contract is effective from July 1, 2023, until late December 2025.
Lionel Messi Club Career
Anyone who has heard about football knows Lionel Messi. The Argentine sensation arrived in Spain in 2000 from Newell’s Old Boys. At 16 years, 4 months, and 23 days, Messi finally made his much-awaited senior team debut for Barcelona in a friendly against Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto in November 2003.
Since then, Messi has won almost everything in sight. The 9-time La Liga player of the year has also won the league title 10 times in his career and 15 other domestic cup trophies. Lionel Messi is also a record six-time Ballon d’Or winner, which is one more than that of Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has also been awarded the UEFA Player of the Year Award thrice along with a Best FIFA Men’s Player title in 2019. His record at Barcelona makes for astonishing reading. Messi scored 672 goals and provided 306 assists during his 778 games for the Catalan giants. He made his debut for PSG against Reims in a Ligue 1 match on 29th August 2021.
Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire on June 30, and he will leave the club this summer. He is set to join MLS Team Inter Miami as a free agent on July 1 2023.
Lionel Messi’s International Career
Lionel Messi is probably the only player to have been called Diego Maradona’s successor and actually go on to live up to that title. In fact, Messi actually bettered Maradona in every way when it came to stats and trophies at the club level. But what made Barrilete Cosmico a divine figure in Argentina was his role in Argentina’s 1986 FIFA World Cup win on home soil.
That was the argument used by many to state that Maradona’s legacy was greater than that of Messi because of international trophies. Once Cristiano Ronaldo won the UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal, the pressure was on the mesmeric Argentine to win something with La Abiceleste.
Messi led Argentina to the 2014 FIFA World Cup final but failed at the last hurdle against Germany. He also lost in the Copa America finals in 2007, 2015, and 2016. But his golden moment finally came in 2021, when Messi captained Argentina to a 1-0 win against Brazil in the Copa America final. That was his second major accomplishment after a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
The post covid time has been working well for the Argentine, as he led Argentina to three major trophies including Copa America in 2021, CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions and World Cup in 2022.
Lionel Messi’s Family, Girlfriend, and Personal Life
Lionel Messi was born on 24th June 1987 in Rosaria, Argentina to Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini. His father was a steel factory manager while his mother worked in a magnet manufacturing company. Lionel was the third of their four children.
He has two brothers – Matias and Rodrigo Messi, and a sister named Maria Sol Messi. Lionel Messi met Antonella Roccuzzo as a five-year-old, who was the cousin of a childhood best friend. The two entered into a relationship in 2008 and made it public in 2009.
Messi and Roccuzzo married each other in 2017, and have three sons together. Their first child, Thiago Messi, was born in 2012. Mateo, their second son, entered the world in 2015, while Ciro Messi arrived in 2018.
Lionel Messi Sponsorships, Endorsements
Messi is Adidas’ biggest client, earning $ 25 million yearly from his deal. He also has sponsorships and endorsements from Gatorade, Pepsi, Budweiser, Lays, Konami, Dubai Auto Expo, Jacob and Co. He earns a significant amount of wealth from numerous sponsorship deals which is understandable considering his reach and popularity.
The Argentine according to a report from Reuters has entered the world of NFTs and Fan Tokens with his recent $20 million deal with Socios.com, an all-in-one fan influence & rewards app. Messi even received a large number of fan tokens when he moved from Barcelona to PSG. He will be the brand’s global ambassador and promote Socios.com.
“Fans deserve to be recognized for their support,” Messi said in a statement. “I’m proud to join Socios.com’s mission to create a more connected and rewarding future for fans around the world.”
Messi has his own brand, which is branded with his last name that has become synonymous with the sport over the years. It is unclear how much money he rakes in through this avenue but given his popularity, it won’t be a small amount.
Lionel Messi has signed a contract with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS). The deal includes profit sharing with MLS partners Apple and Adidas, in addition to his playing contract. Messi also has the option to purchase a minority stake in the club, similar to David Beckham’s arrangement when he joined MLS in 2007.
Lionel Messi Tattoos and Cars
Messi is heavily inked and all his tattoos hold some personal meaning. The Argentine striker has the birthdates of his wife and three children inked on his right shin and calf. The bottom portion of his left leg features a football and the number 10, and he also has a crown on his right arm- the same as Antonela.
His left leg also features Thiago’s handprints and his name, and he also has a tattoo of his wife’s lips on his hips. His right arm features a prominent rosary, as an ode to his hometown of Rosario. Messi also has a portrait of his mother on his back and a large tattoo of Jesus on his right arm.
The legendary forward also boasts of some really fast and expensive cars. He is believed to have a Pagani Zonda Tricolore, several Audi Cars (Q7, R8, A7), a Mercedes SLS AMG, Ferrari F430 Spyder, Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale, an Escalade and a Range Rover Vogue.
Lionel Messi’s Social Media
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