Oranje sponsor ING not going to Qatar World Cup over human rights concerns
ING, the main sponsor of the Dutch national football team, will not accompany Oranje to the World Cup in Qatar at the end of this year. "The human rights situation is the reason why were are not doing anything at this tournament," an ING spokesperson said to De Telegraaf.
The bank will also not use its option to get tickets for customers and staff and will hold no campaign around the World Cup, the spokesperson said. ING's name will still be on the Dutch footballers' shirts. Instead, ING will focus its attention this summer on the Oranje Lionesses in the European Football Championship for women in the United Kingdom.
According to the Telegraaf, other big Oranje sponsors are also not going to Qatar, including Albert Heijn, KPN, Nederlandse Loterij, and Bitvavo.
The human rights situation in Qatar has been concerning for years. Amnesty International reported on Thursday that, despite all the discussion and attention surrounding the World Cup, little or nothing has changed in the country. Security guards work under conditions equivalent to forced labor, and migrant workers find themselves in appalling situations, the human rights organization said.
According to Amnesty International, Qatari employers hardly enforce adjusted laws, and FIFA does little to ensure human rights and labor law in World Cup-related projects.
