To raise awareness of the thousands of unacceptable injuries and tragic deaths of migrant workers building 2022 FIFA World Cup venues in Qatar and to drive change in how they are treated, Blankspot teamed up with Forza Football on a project called ‘Cards Of Qatar’.
The investigative journalism platform and the app led digital football content creator linked up with creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors to create the multi-channel cause campaign revolving around a series of football cards each highlighting the human being’s behind the migrant worker tragedies by telling their own personal heartbreaking stories.
Instead of cards profiling the star players, the ‘Cards of Qatar’ profile workers such as Madhu Bollapally, Ghal Singh Rai, Abu Hashem, Dorine Wangare and many other unfamiliar names to football fans, but each one among the thousands of migrant laborers from South Asian countries injured or killed working construction and other jobs in the run-up to the tournament.
Launched four months before the FIFA 2022 men’s World Cup kicks off, the initiative aimed to present each individual tragedy with dignity and respect and so focused on a high level of card craftsmanship and designed a handmade box that holds 33 cards.
The graphics for the project were inspired by the FIFA World Cup 2022 in order to ensure a strong visual connection with the tournament whilst not appearing to claim to be the official tournament player cards.
The stylish portraits, glossy surface and smartly designed packaging all creates the impression of authentic football cards. But at a closer look, the portraits and stories belong to migrant workers in Qatar, each with an unfiltered story of injuries or premature death.
Blankspot and Forza Football sent physical cards and card boxes to FIFA executives, football and human rights influencers, as well as to sponsors and members of the media to highlight the problem.
A hero film dropped on 30 June across owned and earned platforms was supported by digital and social media led by @cardsofqatar on Instagram and Twitter and outdoor initiatives such as a recent OOH showcase of card blow-ups in Stockholm as the project releases new cards each day in the lead up the kick-off in Doha on 21 November.
The goal is to publish one card each day up until the World Cup begins and on the website www.cardsofqatar.com and via Instagram and Twitter and to encourage viewers and fans to share them across their own social channels.
New Card: Read about migrantworker #34 Abul Hashem https://t.co/cxWaE9BJbl #CardsofQatar #FIFA22 #WorldCup #WorldCup2022
— Cards of Qatar (@CardsOfQatar) July 1, 2022
Case no. 40: Mohammad Hamidul Malita, Bangladesh. https://t.co/8oQIAwZ180 #FIFAWorldCup #WorldCup2022 #Qatar2022
— Cards of Qatar (@CardsOfQatar) July 9, 2022
We are proud to support and be a part of the project @CardsOfQatar @blanksp_t is highlighting the stories of immigrant workers that have died in Qatar, and you can use your voice with https://t.co/MhCxLpp37f#cardsofqatar #tweetforfthosewhocant pic.twitter.com/9fRLldviOX
— Forza Football (@ForzaFootball) July 1, 2022
There is also a digital extension for Forza Football and their 3m active monthly users where you can tweet directly to people in the football community, encouraging them to share the stories.But the 33 football cards is just the initial batch.
Plus, the cards themselves are supported by a series of long-form articles and interviews with players, politicians and workers’ organizations.
The campaign was briefed in by Blankspot’s Martin Schibbye and Forza Football’s Patrik Arnesson and the team at Forsman which included Art Director Staffan Lamm and Copywriter Hampus Elfström.
“Together with a team of local journalists in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, we collected stories of migrant workers directly from the families and widows they left behind,” said Martin Schibbye, Chief Editor and Co-Founder of Blankspot. “I think it’s our responsibility to get to know these people and their stories.”
“To present these stories with dignity, we focused on a high level of craftsmanship and designed a handmade box of textile fiber that holds 33 cards,” says Forsman Art Director Staffan Lamm. “The graphics were inspired by the World Cup 2022 to create a visual connection as if these were the official cards [commemorating the event].”
“Cards of Qatar is a way to both spread the stories to a large audience while putting more pressure on FIFA and other organizations that organize sporting events. This is 2022. Major championships should not be organized by countries that do not respect fundamental human rights,” added Forza Football Founder Patrik Arnesson.
“It has been an honour to have been part of this project. Hopefully, as many people as possible will read these stories,” added Copywriter Hampus Elfström.
Comment
According to research by the parties involved in ‘Cards Of Qatar’, as many as 6,500 workers have been killed or injured building or upgrading stadiums, roads, hotels and airports in the decade since FIFA picked Qatar’s capital to host the Cup.
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