星空传媒

Skip to main content

Denmark to wear World Cup jerseys that protest host Qatar

Denmark celebrate after scoring during the World Cup 2022, group F, qualifying soccer match between Denmark and Israel in the Park in Copenhagen, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Denmark celebrate after scoring during the World Cup 2022, group F, qualifying soccer match between Denmark and Israel in the Park in Copenhagen, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Share
GENEVA -

Denmark will wear team jerseys at the World Cup that protest the human rights record of host nation Qatar, with a black option unveiled Wednesday to honor migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.

鈥淭he color of mourning,鈥 kit manufacturer Hummel said in a post on Instagram releasing the black third-choice design.

鈥淲hile we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn't be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,鈥 the company said.

The designs seem to complete a promise made by the Danish soccer federation last November to wear clothing with 鈥渃ritical messages鈥 at the tournament in Qatar.

Though FIFA's World Cup rules prohibit political statements on team uniform, the three Denmark shirt designs in all-red, all-white and all-black appear to comply with no words or symbols that are an explicit statement. The national team badge, Hummel logo and decorative white chevrons -- a famous feature of the Denmark shirt since the 1980s - are faded into the same single color as the shirt.

鈥淲e don't wish to be visible during (the) tournament,鈥 Hummel said. 鈥淲e support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation.鈥

The gas-rich emirate has been fiercely criticized in the past decade for its treatment of migrant workers mostly from south Asia needed to build tens of billions of dollars' worth of stadiums, metro lines, roads and hotels.

Definitive numbers of worker deaths and injuries have been hard to verify with inquests not routinely held and limited data released by Qatari authorities.

World Cup organizers in Qatar disputed Hummel's claim of thousands of deaths in construction work during preparations for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament.

鈥淔urthermore, we wholeheartedly reject the trivializing our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadiums and other tournament projects,鈥 the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said in a statement.

鈥淭he SC's work is recognized by numerous entities within the international human rights community as a model that has accelerated progress and improved lives,鈥 organizers said, citing the U.N.'s International Labor Organization.

Denmark, the world's No. 10-ranked team which reached the European Championship semifinals last year, has been one of the 32 World Cup teams most likely to take a strong stance against Qatar.

The Danish federation joined a European campaign launched last week for captains to wear heart-shaped, multi-colored 鈥淥ne Love鈥 armbands in World Cup games.

Danish officials also have taken a leading role in a group of European soccer federations visiting Qatar to monitor the progress of promised reforms in labor laws.

鈥淭his dialogue resulted in a better understanding of the progress made, the challenges faced, and the legacy we will deliver beyond 2022,鈥 Qatari organizers said, urging the Danish federation 鈥渢o 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.鈥

Denmark has been drawn in a World Cup group with defending champion France, which typically wears a dark blue shirt, Australia, whose first-choice color is gold, and Tunisia, which wears white.

The FIFA match schedule for the tournament lists Denmark as the home team with first choice of color only for its opening game on Nov. 22 against Tunisia.

CTVNews.ca 星空传媒

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected