Dutch Supermarket group Jumbo have withdrawn an advert they made to promote their World Cup 2022 giveaway after it features a group of construction workers dancing in a building site.
Dutch Supermarket withdraw their controversial World Cup advert
The ad has received lots of backlash on Social media and from Human Rights organisations due to its insensitive nature considering The Guardian has reported over 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup in 2010.
The advert's focus is different groups of people dancing to promote their supermarket, however there is a short sequence featuring a group of construction workers dancing in a building site, something that has received plenty of criticism since its release.
Issues surrounding the World Cup in Qatar have been well documented since it was announced they would host the sporting event, with the main focus being on the country's human rights record. One of the biggest issues of concern is related to the treatment of migrant workers, thousands of whom have reportedly died during the construction of the stadiums that will used for the tournament.
The Jumbo advert has now been pulled as a result of the criticism received.
Supermarkt knalt er gewoon even een WK-reclame uit met een stel polonaise-lopende bouwvakkers. #qatar #wk pic.twitter.com/SfBI05AJNO
— Jeroen Haarsma (@Jeroen_Haarsma) November 1, 2022
World Cup Advert receives online backlash
Jan Kooy of Human Rights Watch took to Twitter to express his opinion on the advertisement, saying,
It is a scandalous and insulting advert. They have google at Jumbo, right? Then you immediately get articles about people who have died in the past twelve years while building the infrastructure for this World Cup in Qatar'
TV Creator Danny Ghosen has described the advert as 'disrespectful to all those construction workers who died during construction.'
Official Statement
Following backlash, the Dutch Supermarket chain pulled the advert and released the following statement:
We now realise that this advert contains a link to the appalling working conditions in Qatar and that was never our intention.
We deeply regret this and offer our sincere apologies.
To add to this, just last month Jumbo announced that they understood the sensitive nature of the Qatar World Cup and had 'carefully considered' their approach to advertisement. They said instead that the focus of their advertisements would be in support of the Dutch national side.
It would appear that some more careful consideration could have been applied.
Jumbo heeft per direct besloten om de WK TV reclame die gisteren te zien was stop te zetten. We realiseren ons dat hierin een link te maken is naar de erbarmelijke arbeidsomstandigheden in Qatar en dat is nooit onze bedoeling geweest. We bieden hiervoor onze excuses aan.
— Jumbo Supermarkten (@JumboSupermarkt) November 2, 2022
SEE ALSO: It Was Refreshing To Hear Jamie Carragher's Blistering Takedown Of Qatar World Cup
