News
(Images: Getty)
In this programme, Neil and Beth talk about why Qatar wanted to host the World Cup and the migrant workforce who helped them prepare for it. You’ll also learn some related vocabulary along the way.
Which country has won the World Cup the most times? Is it:
a) Italy,b) Brazil, or,c) ?
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
exploitationtreating someone unfairly in order to gain an advantage for yourself
exorbitantmuch bigger or more expensive than it should be
debtan amount of money that you owe to someone else
behemothsomething which is extreme large and powerful
sandwiched betweenin a tight, narrow space between two larger things
soft powera country using its economic and cultural influence to persuade other countries to do something, instead of using military (hard) power
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
NeilHello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
BethAnd I’m Beth.
NeilEvery four years the best players in the world gather for one month in the summer to take part in the biggest event in football – the World Cup. But this year, for the first time ever, the competition is taking place in winter. Why? Because the 2022 World Cup is happening in Qatar.
BethOver a million fans from all over the world are expected to visit Qatar for the World Cup which starts on the 20th of November. Because temperatures in Qatar exceed 45 degrees in the summer, the competition was moved to the winter. But the decision to hold the World Cup in the tiny, oil-rich Gulf state has been controversial.
NeilOne of the richest countries in the world, Qatar has no tradition of playing football and some have criticised the focus on money instead of sport. And there are other criticisms too – about human rights and the treatment of the migrant construction workers who built the football stadiums, roads, transport systems and hotels without which the World Cup could not happen.
BethIn this programme we’ll be asking: is it right for Qatar to host the World Cup? And of course, we’ll be learning some new and useful vocabulary as well.
NeilBut before that I have a question for you Beth. Which country has won the World Cup the most times? Is it:
a) Italy?b) Brazil? or,c) ?
BethI think it must be Brazil.
NeilOK, I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Advertising for the Qatar World Cup shows football fans staying in new hotels and watching matches in air-conditioned stadiums. But hidden behind this, the lives of the migrant workers from Nepal, India and other South Asian countries reveal a very different story.
BethThe population of Qatar is tiny and 95% of the total workforce are foreigners working in extreme heat, housed in poor quality accommodation, and often underpaid. Rothna Begum, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, explained their situation to BBC World Service programme, Business Daily:
Rothna BegumWe’re still recording and documenting migrant workers facing abuse and exploitation in Qatar. They include workers reporting having paid exorbitant and illegal recruitment fees to secure work abroad on two-year contracts, and then finding out they’re coming on three-month visas, which means that they're not able to make up or recoup the price that they've paid to actually get this job, and may well be sent home in debt on top of everything else.
NeilMigrant workers face exploitation. Exploitation means treating someone unfairly to get some advantage for yourself. Many of the World Cup workers were exploited by being paid less than agreed, being paid late, or not being paid at all.
BethThe construction jobs seemed a good opportunity for migrant workers to save money to send home to their families. Many paid exorbitant fees – fees which were much bigger than they should be, just to get a job in Qatar.
NeilBut despite being given two-year job contracts, some workers were only allowed to stay three months. Because they couldn’t make enough money, many returned home in debt – owing money to someone that they will have to pay back. What’s worse, many have died building the football stadiums, in accidents, or due to overwork and heat stress.
BethSo, with all this criticism, added to the billions of dollars Qatar spent preparing for the competition, was it worth it? James Dawsey is an expert on the politics of football in the Middle East. Here he explains to BBC World Service’s, Business Daily, that for Qatar, hosting the World Cup is more about improving its international reputation than economics:
James DawseyBut this is not about economics for Qatar. Qatar is a small state. It is sandwiched between two regional behemoths: Saudi Arabia and Iran. And so its whole policy is geared towards soft power, whether that's sports, whether that's the airport and the airline…
NeilQatar may be rich thanks to its oil, but it’s not a large country unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Iran, countries which James Dawsey called behemoths – something which is extremely large and powerful.
BethQatar is sandwiched between these larger counties. If you’re sandwiched between two things you’re in a narrow, tight space between them. Because Qatar isn’t as powerful as its bigger neighbours, it uses soft power – the way a country uses its economic and cultural influence to persuade other countries, instead of using military power. Hosting an important international event like the World Cup is a part of Qatar’s soft power strategy to be considered an important country on the world stage.
NeilWhatever the rights and wrongs of the debate, this will be the first Arab nation to host the World Cup, although it’s unlikely that the Qatari team will actually win - unlike a more famous footballing nation, Italy, who won the first World Cup they hosted in 1934.
BethAnd speaking of World Cup winners, what was the answer to your question, Neil? Which country has won the most World Cups? I guessed it was Brazil…
NeilWhich was…. the correct answer of course! With five title wins, Brazil is the most successful World Cup team followed closely by Italy and with four titles each. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned starting with exploitation - treating someone unfairly in order to benefit yourself.
BethIf the price of something is exorbitant, it’s much higher than it should be.
NeilA debt is an amount of money that you owe to someone else.
BethA behemoth refers to something which is extremely large and powerful.
NeilAnd if you’re sandwiched between two things, you’re in a in a tight, narrow space between them.
BethAnd finally, soft power describes strategies used by a country to increase its power through economic and cultural influences, instead of fighting wars. Once again, our six minutes are up. Goodbye for now!
NeilBye!
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow ends up in the rubbish bin - how can we stop this?
How are 3D printers providing solutions to some of our medical problems?
What can opinion polls really tell us?
Learn about an idea to deal with climate change that could affect marine ecosystems.
Is music really a cure for a broken heart?
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
Hear about the workers who built the World Cup stadiums
How people are trying to manipulate the weather
We talk about the people who make flavours
We discuss whether Halloween costumes are now too scary to be fun.
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
How to adapt dishes from other countries
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
Learn vocabulary to talk about inflation
We discuss the language used for online dating
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body
Hear the inspiring story of people who are doing it
Are emojis turning us into lazy writers?
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
How can you connect the unconnected?
We talk about previous periods in which deadly diseases went global
Having a Groundhog Day? Keen to break the internet? Learn some modern idioms.
How sharks have become an endangered species.
Can today's animals evolve quickly enough to survive a changing climate?
Missing your mother's cooking? We talk about traditional dishes.
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson's quest to highlight the difference between opinion and fact
In this episode, we discuss the events leading to the creation of the first atomic bomb.
What is life really like in the Pacific islands?
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
We talk about a very British tradition
Living with synaesthesia
Is there north and south in space?
Hear how tech is helping people change their behaviour for the better
How do you mark your personal territory?
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid in South Africa.
We talk about an extreme environment which is stranger than fiction
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
It's not all about tea. Britons love coffee too!
Listen to a conversation about optimists and pessimists
Hear a chat about the queen of murder mystery, who had her books translated into over 100 languages
Is there life on Mars?
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously?
Listen to what scientists are saying about the benefits of giving others a helping hand
Would you eat a cricket? How about a portion of nice crunchy ants?
Why not put your idle brain to good use?
We wonder what all that licking is really all about
Life in a place where people work, study longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
Learn how microbes help digest food and have an impact in our bodies.
How do languages get invented?
What will future technology be like?
For a better experience please enable Javascript in your browser
