The Worker's Cup 2017
Distributed by Passion River Films, 154 Mt. Bethel Rd., Warren, NJ 07059; 732-321-0711
Produced by Ramzy Haddad, Rosie Garthwaite
Directed by Adam Sobel
DVD, color, 92 min.
College - General Adult
Sports, Race Relations, Poverty, Documentaries, Ethics, Human Rights
Date Entered: 12/13/2018
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Independent Scholar and Librarian, Valparaiso, INThe Worker’s Cup examines the building of the 2022 FIFA World Cup facility in Qatar, which is being constructed on the backs of thousands of migrant workers. These laborers are from a number of low-income countries who work for very little and live in labor camps outside the city limits. In order to manage and control these workforces, a Worker's Cup soccer match has been organized consisting of the laborers from the 24 construction companies building the stadium. The film follows five workhands - their experiences and lives - as they toil in horrible working and living conditions while playing in a soccer tournament that both elevates and demeans their existence. I highly recommend this film for higher education classes which focuses on human rights, the politics within modern-day sports competitions, and third-world poverty conditions.