Advertisement

Denmark World Cup kit supplier mutes jerseys in protest of Qatar's human rights record

Danish national team players huddle up during a match ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Danish national team players huddle up during a match ahead of the 2022 World Cup.REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
  • Denmark's uniform supplier, Hummel, has created a muted jersey for the team to wear at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

  • The brand said the understated features are meant to protest host nation Qatar's human rights record.

  • "We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives," the brand announced.

The uniform supplier for Denmark's men's national soccer team is making a bold statement ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Danish sportswear brand Hummel, which also makes uniforms for Everton FC, has designed muted kits for the world's 10th-ranked team to protest host nation Qatar and its significant record of human rights violations. Denmark's three kits — solid red, solid white, and solid black — will all feature "toned down details," including the brand's "logo and iconic chevrons."

"We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives," Hummel Sport wrote in an Instagram caption Wednesday. "We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation."

 

Qatar has come under fire for its treatment of foreign workers in the lead-up to the global spectacle. Individuals from around the world — but primarily Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Philippines — have flocked to the Middle Eastern nation to supply the labor necessary to build the tournament's stadiums, hotels, and other supporting infrastructure.

Many of those foreign workers have been housed in substandard labor camps, denied proper compensation, and forced to remain in the country by way of confiscated passports, according to the BBC. And though the exact death toll is disputed, The Guardian estimated that as many as 6,500 individuals employed in Qatar for World Cup-related projects have died since since the country was awarded hosting rights in 2010.

Hummel even introduced Denmark's alternate black jersey as "the perfect colour" because it is "the colour of mourning."

 

In addition to concerns about workers' treatment, the international community has criticized Qatar for its record on women's and LGBTQ+ rights. Still, the 2022 World Cup is set to kick off there on November 20.

Read the original article on Insider