Despite all the controversy surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, British musicians seems to be receiving the best treatment. Musicians are being offered the salary of 66,000 pounds — or $102,406.26 — to train Qatari military bandsmen to perform in front of a global TV audience during the event.
The musicians will be offered tax-free salaries of up to 66,000 pounds for training and the first wave of recruits will also get free accommodation and a car. This includes violinists and woodwind, brass and percussion players. There are also former military pipers and drummers and at least three orchestral conductors.
The teachers will be expected to stay in Qatar for up to three years, by which time it is hoped the Qatari bandsmen will have reached the required standard to play at the opening ceremony and other high-profile events during the tournament. So far, Qatar has already signed up 60 professional musicians from Britain, who will set out to start sometime next month, but they are continuing to look for more.
This high point for musicians comes at a time of lows for the World Cup, which has been racked with controversy. Allegations of corruption and bribing surround the decision to award the tournament to Qatar. Also, concerns about the high temperature and extreme summer heat are coming up, with many fearing it will ruin matches and be dangerous for players.
But the biggest issue has been an article released by The Guardian, which reports that hundreds of migrant workers have died since construction of the World Cup infrastructure began.
