Denmark unveils World Cup kits as "protest against Qatar and its human rights record"
Sports brand Hummel has designed toned-down football kits for the Danish national team to play in at the FIFA 2022 World Cup as a protest against the event being hosted in Qatar.
The trio of kits, which will be worn by Denmark at this year's World Cup in Qatar, were created by Hummel and the Danish Football Association (DBU) to criticise Qatar's human rights record and draw attention to the number of migrant workers who have reportedly died building the event's stadiums.
"At Hummel, we believe that sport should bring people together," said the brand. "And when it doesn't, we are eager to speak up and make a statement."
"That's also why the new Denmark jerseys for the upcoming World Cup have been designed as a protest against Qatar and its human rights record," it continued.
Each of the three kits – a red home strip, white away strip and black third kit – have a toned-down aesthetic designed to reduce the visibility of the shirts.
"We've toned down all the details – including our own Hummel logo and chevrons – because even though we love football and the feeling of togetherness it gives us, we don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives," said Hummel.
"We're immensely proud of our history with the Danish national team, and we support them all the way. However, that isn't the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation."
The upcoming World Cup has been controversial due to the decision to host the event in Qatar. The country has been criticised due to its labour practices and the number of migrant construction workers that have reportedly died since Qatar won its bid to host the competition.
The Guardian reported that 6,500 migrant workers had died in the county between 2010, when the country won the right to host the event, and 2020. However, FIFA claims that there have only been 37 deaths of migrant workers involved in the construction of the World Cup stadiums, which have been designed by studios including Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster + Partners.
Denmark will play some games in a black third kit to draw attention to the workers who died.
"We have made Denmark's third jersey all black – the colour of mourning – to honour the migrant workers that have died building Qatar's World Cup stadiums, as well as the families left behind," added Hummel.
The Qatar 2022 supreme committee, which is organising the country's World Cup, disputed the claims made by Hummel and said that the shirt was "trivialising" its health and safety efforts.
"We wholeheartedly reject the trivialising of our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built stadiums and other tournament projects," said the supreme committee.
"We have worked diligently alongside the Qatari government to ensure that the tournament delivers a lasting social legacy."
Along with labour conditions, the tournament has also been criticised for the decision to host the games in the heat of Qatar. This has led to many of the stadiums needing to incorporate air-conditioning and being accused of making misleading promises about the amount of carbon produced by the event.
A report released by non-profit advocacy group Carbon Market Watch said that claims that the tournament will be the "first carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup in history" are "far-fetched" and rely on "creative accounting".
The photography is courtesy of Hummel.
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