Scottish brewery BrewDog, which also operates over 80 pubs around the UK, and Brewdog Hotels including its very first in Manchester and later additions in Edinburgh and London, has declared itself the “proud anti-sponsor” of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in a series of billboards protesting the human rights record of host country, Qatar.
The brewer has unveiled an uncompromising billboard campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, condemning what it said was the “corruption, abuse and death” associated with the tournament.
Describing the occasion as the “World F*Cup,” the push promotes BrewDog’s plan to donate all profits made from its Lost Lager during the event to unspecified human rights charities.
“Football is meant to be for everyone. But in Qatar, homosexuality is illegal, flogging is an accepted form of punishment and it’s OK for 6,500 workers to die building your stadiums,” said BrewDog founder James Watt on LinkedIn, saying the business was “putting [its] money where [its] mouth is.”
Brewdog joins a growing chorus of disapproval over the decision to hand the World Cup to Qatar, a serial abuser of human rights which regularly confiscates the passports of the approximately two million indentured labourers brought in from across Asia to build stadiums for this year’s event and other major projects.
Former Manchester United footballer and key North West business figure Gary Neville was among the latest to feel the sharp end of the anti-Qatar stick when Ian Hislop hilariously ripped him apart on Have I Got News for You at the weekend over his decision to “take Qatar’s money” by attending this year’s event, which kicks off on November 20, as a pundit.
A number of players, including England captain Harry Kane, have declared their intention to wear rainbow armbands at the event, risking FIFA’s wrath by protesting gay rights at the supposedly non-political sporting festival.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hit the headlines recently too, criticising journalists for repeatedly asking football managers such as himself and England boss Gareth Southgate to decry the host nation, when they had already had 12 years to do so themselves, and largely failed until it was too late, since the tournament was awarded.
Cynics may be at least a little dubious about Brewdog’s intentions. The brewer has confirmed that it will screen the games across its venues, arguing that the more Lost Lager it sells, the more it will be able to give to charity.
The brewer itself is no stranger to accusations of human rights abuses from its workers. In June 2021, a group of over 100 former BrewDog employees published an open letter criticising the firm’s business practices and the treatment of its employees. The letter cited a “culture of fear” and claimed the company was “built on a cult of personality”, with founder and CEO Watt singled out for particular criticism.
