The Great World Cup eyewash: How Putin and FIFA are duping everyone through football

England players being cautious

Human right activists will also point to the fact that racism is wantonly spread throughout the country and it is likely to rear its ugly head during the tournament, sooner rather than later. The situation is so severe, in fact, that England international Danny Rose had explicitly asked his family not to travel to Russia in fear of their safety. Similarly, the English manager Gareth Southgate has also apparently informed his players that they should walk away from the pitch if some or any of them is at the receiving agent of any racial slurs.

Social time bombs waiting to explode

Each of the aforementioned issues is in itself a potential social time-bomb waiting to implode, but even they are nothing compared to the brutality that has been unleashed on the streets of Russia recently. In an effort to tidy up the streets of the 12 World Cup venues, local authorities have employed death squads to exterminate all stray dogs. Using poisoned and toxic food which causes slow and violent deaths to these fluffy but abandoned creatures, the Government has justified this step as an attempt to make the cities more media and visitor-friendly.

Despite repeated protests from Open Cage and other pet-care communities as well as intense social-media shaming, these killings have continued regularly. The perpetrators are well aware of the fact that the protests are localised only to specific groups with larger parts of the world having little or no idea of what is going on inside the highly media-monitored state.

However, not everyone is a silent victim. People like Peter Tatchell, a human rights activist have chosen the World Cup to demonstrate the repulsive and gloomy side of football’s greatest fiesta. Thatchell was beaten up by a goon in 2007 in front of the Moscow City Hall for no reason other than voicing his thoughts and has since opposed the Kremlin at every possible step. His demands include repeal of the “anti-gay” law, the release of all foreign journalists and proper trial of war criminals. Despite being continuously threatened by local goons, he has pledged to make the most while the international focus is zoomed on the country and ensure the fact that Russia upholds the European convention rights, which it signed a few years back.

As I had mentioned before, man is usually incapable of looking beyond the razzmatazz. He is more likely to accept that he is powerless in front of a challenging situation than stand up to change it. However, people like Thatchell prove exceptions exist. They dare to stand up against the wrong-doers and challenge the well-established hegemony. It is on their shoulders that the true significance of the sport, and by extension, life rests. Thus, the next time you tune into to watch a World Cup game, remember that it has come through the blood and sweat of many an innocent victim. With Qatar, a country almost as infamous as Russia when it comes to violating rights of dissidents, women and immigrants, set to organize the next Cup, it seems unlikely that FIFA will buckle up and take accountability for its actions.

Thus, it is up to us to restore balance and display empathy. As consumers, our attention span is generally short-lived, our focus is usually distracted and our thinking abilities are usually clouded and short-sighted, but for once, we must gather all our mental faculties and resist the propaganda at all costs. The Kremlin’s goal is simple, to tidy up the country’s image in front of the world by eliminating all opposition and presenting only that which is socially acceptable and applauded -- but underneath the surface lies a body of lies, deceit and intolerance. As responsible viewers, we must voice our thoughts and concerns and unequivocally lend our support to the likes of Thatchell at all times if we are to establish a better future and bring the perpetrators to justice.