海角大神

The聽Qatar聽national聽soccer聽team's match against聽Scotland聽this Friday has raised hackles amongst Scottish politicians, unions and fans, adding to the controversy over the desert nation's hosting of聽the 2022 World Cup.

Some want the friendly match to be canceled in protest against the deaths of migrant workers building stadiums for聽the World Cup. They also say the award of聽the World Cup聽to聽Qatar聽- a country with little聽soccer聽tradition, a lack of infrastructure, and a stifling climate - reeks of corruption.

The聽Scottish Football Association聽- the world's second oldest - says the match will go ahead and that human rights issues should remain separate from sport.聽Qatar聽denies wrongdoing in connection with its successful聽World Cup bid.

Normally, a match between聽Qatar, ranked 99th in the world, and聽Scotland, a historic heartland of the game but long in the doldrums, would draw little outside interest.

But the furore piles more unwelcome attention on聽Qatar聽and FIFA,聽soccer's international governing body, on top of a corruption scandal engulfing FIFA.

Seven FIFA officials were arrested in聽Switzerland聽last week on suspicion of corruption and a separate investigation is being carried out into the award of聽the 2018 World Cup聽to聽Russia聽and the 2022 Qatari bid.

The Qatari team have already felt the heat of fans' disdain. At a friendly match on Sunday against聽Northern Ireland聽in the English town of聽Crewe, Irish fans waved their wallets in the air and chanted "bribery."

Neil Findlay, a member of the聽Scottish parliament, submitted a motion saying that canceling the match would send "the strongest possible message to the Qatari authorities that聽Scotland聽finds the current plight of construction workers unacceptable."

The Scottish Trades Union聽Congress聽decried the "appalling labor abuse" by聽Qatar聽of the construction workers. In a statement, it urged the SFA to speak out.

Human rights

Former MP聽Dennis Canavan聽said the situation recalled the time in 1977 when聽Scotland, despite similar protests, played聽Chile聽in the Santiago stadium where military ruler General聽Augusto Pinochet聽had imprisoned, tortured and killed his opponents.

"The SFA turned a blind eye," he told Glasgow's Herald newspaper. "Today, however, it could be argued that cancellation of the聽Scotland聽v聽Qatar聽match could help save the lives of stadium workers by sending out a strong message to the聽Qatar聽authorities and FIFA that we will not tolerate the rising death toll caused by the continuing exploitation of slave labor with scant regard for health and safety."

The SFA, which sees the game as an important preparation for the next stage of its EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, said in a statement it was aware of the reports about workers' conditions in聽Qatar聽and it condemned human rights abuses.

But it said: "It is important to separate this sporting fixture from the serious human rights issues emanating from聽Qatar."

"As noted recently by Amnesty International, it is important that the universal reach of聽football聽can be used in a positive manner to highlight inequalities and be a force for good."

Arguments for and against the match going ahead were posted on the Tartan Army fans message board.

And聽Pat Nevin, a former聽Scotland聽international and a leading commentator, said聽Scotland聽acting alone would be a futile gesture "like a flea bit on an elephant's backside."

It would be better to campaign for all European nations to boycott聽the World Cup, he said.

"I understand the moral argument for not playing them. But do you play against聽Russia? Do you play against聽China? If I had a campaign I wanted to shout and bawl about, it would be all of聽football聽campaigning about聽the World Cup, the conditions of workers and the like."

(Editing by Giles Elgood)