Russia’s Confederations Cup: Boosted security, slave labour, and watered-down football

The FIFA Federations Cup is less than a month away, and serves as an indicator of the events to come during the World Cup itself. And while the cup is supposedly about international cooperation and well-being, the competition has been largely marred by scandal and misconduct.

Russia has made the global news frequently over the past few years, and it’s often not in the best of light. The coming FIFA Confederations Cup has the potential to change this, providing an opportunity for the country’s politicians to put aside their vendettas and show the world the beauty of their country and their people. With a start date less than a month away, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Confederations Cup will showcase four of the twelve world cup venues: Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, and (of course) Moscow. While the four stadiums are entirely finished at this point, it was not without scandal and grief. The Saint Petersburg stadium, in particular, has brought to light some truly appalling realities. During a FIFA inspection of the pitch during construction, the world organization found “strong evidence for the presence of North Korean workers on the construction site in St Petersburg”. These workers had essentially been traded by their government’s totalitarian regime in return for adequate compensation. In essence, North Korean citizens were sold into slavery to construct Russian football stadiums.

To make matters worse, the committee responsible for ensuring worker safety and enforcing human rights is jointly run by Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s deputy prime minister. He was the deputy of sport until 2016, at which point FIFA itself barred him from holding any leadership position within the organization. He was forced to resign due to a heavy involvement in a doping scandal, in which it was claimed the official knowingly and continuously allowed, encouraged, and covered up steroid use by hundreds of Russian athletes. This is the man responsible for ethical worker treatment.

The Saint Petersburg stadium initially started hosting matches for the home football team Zenit back in early April. After just two games, however, the team moved back to their previous home stadium, due to concerns over a “shaky pitch”. The pitch since been relaid and has been approved for international play. But even if the stadiums are ready, it doesn’t mean the people are.

The afternoon of April the third brought about a horrifying terror attack on the citizens of Saint Petersburg. A lone suicide bomber destroyed an active subway car during transit, killing 14 people and wounding many more in the process. The barbarous action took place in the middle of the day while the less-than-popular “president” was visiting his hometown for political meetings. Many agree that the attack was an act of retaliation against his regime, and was meant as a symbolic awakening rather than an attack on Russian citizens themselves.

This recent bombing marks the fifth time in the last eight years that Russian transportation infrastructure has witnessed brutal attacks. People are understandably scared, and it’s showing. As of June 8th, not a single game for the 2017 Confederations Cup is sold out, yet FIFA is trying hard not to show their frustration. On the organization’s website, it prominently states, “Additional tickets for most sought-after matches at FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 now available”, regardless of the fact the first set of tickets haven’t been completely purchased.

It’s not just the fans who aren’t taking the cup seriously either, it’s entire nations. The Confederations Cup is often considered the warm-up for the World Cup, and serves as a training ground for the players on all sides to feel out the competition. Yet given the large amount of public controversy, and the fact that Russia is currently ranked 63rd in the world (a record low), some have started to doubt the seriousness of the competition. Germany has announced that it will purposely and knowingly send “a weakened squad”. This has upset many organizers of the Russian-hosted cup, and it’s quite possible that Germany is the just the first of many to announce playing their “B” team.

There are also significant security concerns for the upcoming tournament. Some of the country’s football fans are known for their passionate and often violent behavior when it comes to supporting their team. In 2016, the European Championship hosted in France saw savage clashes between Russian and English sports fans. There have also been well-documented reports of Russian fans preparing to specifically target English supporters during the upcoming cup. In light of this, Putin has approved legislation that allows for harsher punishments specifically targeting participants in violent outbreaks at sporting events.

Anton Gusev, a Ministry of Internal Affairs official, recently blacklisted almost two hundred fans, citing their history of violence and disruption at prior events. The ministry has also implemented a system dubbed the “Fan ID”. It acts as an entry pass for ticket holders, and must be carried by foreigners and locals alike. Foreigners are advised to register for their ID within a day of arrival in the country. The Confederations Cup is meant to serve as a demo for the new system, and its implementation is anticipated in next year’s World Cup as well.

The FIFA Confederations Cup is one of Russia’s best chances to begin amending its world reputation. Unfortunately, the build-up has been marred by scandal after scandal. Blue-collar workers have been underpaid and treated with disdain, Russian officials have turned a blind eye, and other nations have stopped believing in the competition. The events and reactions that take place during the Confederations Cup will largely shape the world’s attitude towards Russia in the coming year – let us hope there is an improvement.