Euro 2020 semi-finalist Denmark has ended their credible UEFA Nations League campaign as runner-up to Croatia after Kasper Hjulmand’s De Rød-Hvide won four of six group matches, including a pair of 2-0 wins over fellow Group D antagonist France in the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
And it is now Qatar that is in the mind of the nordic nation when the long-term kit supplier Hummel has spoken out in protest against the host nation earlier today, announcing that they have adapted Denmark’s kit for the winter tournament and “don’t wish to be visible.”
“With the Danish national team’s new jerseys, we wanted to send a dual message. They are not only inspired by Euro 92, paying tribute to Denmark’s greatest football success, but also a protest against Qatar and its human rights record.”
“That’s why we’ve toned down all the details for Denmark’s new World Cup jerseys, including our logo and iconic chevrons. We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives. We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation.”
“We believe that sport should bring people together. And when it doesn’t, we want to make a statement.”
Questions and backlash have long been levied at the notion that Qatar won its bid to host the global spectacle, which has caused the entire football calendar to be shifted in order for the tournament to be held in the middle of the club season due to various reasons, including weather concerns.
But more importantly, for a nation that had little-to-no infrastructure in place to host the World Cup, whereas other national bids from the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Australia - countries with existing stadia fit for service along with tried and tested infrastructures - were overlooked, likely due in part to the US, Korea, and Japan already hosting the tournament in 1994 and 2002 respectively.
Media the world over were not left convinced, however, with American outlets The Wall Street Journal and the Seattle Times both alleging that collusion and corruption were at the heart of the successful campaign, while Netherlands news publication Algemeen Dagblad, Spanish outlet El Mundo, and Japanese paper Nikkei all referenced Qatar’s influence on the global energy and financial community as reasons for its successful bid.
Most importantly, the lives lost in the wake of Qatar’s selection and the subsequent need to construct five additional stadiums for the tournament and the resulting infrastructure needed have cost the lives of an estimated 6,500 migrant workers according to the latest report in The Guardian back in February of this year.
With fans across social media already considering boycotting watching the World Cup due to the loss of life and other factors mentioned, Hummel’s statement in protest is likely to not be the lass across the next two months before the tournament kicks off on 20 November.
