Denmark’s kit supplier Hummel has unveiled a monochrome strip for the Qatar World Cup in a bold protest against the host country.
Sportswear firm Hummel released the kit on Wednesday, which effectively camouflages their distinctive logo, for the World Cup in protest against the host country, whose human rights record has been under huge scrutiny in the build-up to the tournament.
The sportswear company said it wants to ‘send a duel message’ when it unveiled Denmark’s shirts for Qatar 2022 on Instagram.
Other companies are now being tipped to follow suit; with their decision described as a ‘watershed’ moment on Wednesday.
The new red kit is inspired by their Euro 92 success when Denmark won their only major title, but has its logo and details barely visible.
An all black design, which Hummel said signifies the ‘colour of mourning’, will be their third kit in Qatar.
Hummel sport wrote on Instagram: “With the Danish national team’s new jerseys, we wanted to send a dual message.
“They are not only inspired by Euro 92, paying tribute to Denmark’s greatest football success, but also a protest against Qatar and its human rights record.
“That’s why we’ve toned down all the details for Denmark’s new World Cup jerseys, including our logo and iconic chevrons.
“We don’t wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives. We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn’t the same as supporting Qatar as a host nation.
“We believe that sport should bring people together. And when it doesn’t, we want to make a statement.”
Hummels port posted a similar message on Twitter and it follows a series of protests by human rights campaign groups against the treatment of migrants workers in Qatar.
After Denmark sealed qualification for the World Cup last year, the country’s football association (DBU) said they were instituting a series of measures to shine a spotlight on human rights issues in Qatar.
Earlier this month, calls for football’s global governing body to contribute to a compensation scheme for workers received strong public backing.
Human rights campaign groups, including Amnesty International, have called on FIFA to set aside $440million (£380m) to support the scheme – equivalent to the amount it is set to hand out in World Cup prize money.
According to Human Rights Watch’s Minky Worden: ‘Official Qatari statistics show that 15,021 non-Qataris died in the country between 2010 and 2019. Not one migrant worker should die to make a World Cup possible. Yet in Qatar, thousands have.’
Despite this, the supreme committee for Delivery & Legacy claims the number of work-related fatalities on World Cup projects is just three.
The families of the workers who died in the construction of Qatar’s stadiums have since called for the Qatari government to provide ‘millions in compensation’.
But in response to the allegations advanced, the Qatar government says it has adopted an array of domestic legislation in relation to the organization of global sports events such as the rights of foreign workers working in the tourism and construction sectors before and during the tournament and that it will continue addressing various challenges for the betterment of the worker’s conditions and human rights.
