Football as a Reflection of the Complex Reality of Migration

[This text has been written by Ethel Sequeira, predoctoral researcher at ISGlobal, general practitioner and member of  ISGlobal's Migration Health Research Group.]

Today, Sunday 18 December, is International Migrants Day. Curiously, this year the date coincides with the final of the football World Cup in Qatar. Once again, migration has played a central role in this international championship,  both in the construction of the infrastructure in Qatar by migrants in deplorable and unhealthy living and working conditions as well as in the makeup of the national teams and the reaction of fans to their victories.

Migration is an immensely complex process in which many different situations converge and are experienced in very different ways by different people. For example, some footballers born in Africa have chosen to represent the European country where they live, while others born in Europe have chosen to represent their family’s country of origin. In one case, two brothers played for the national teams of two different countries.

The same complexity has been reflected in the way the victories of certain teams were celebrated. At such times of intense emotion, expressions of jubilation can reveal the conflicted feelings generated by migration. When the Moroccan national team beat the Spanish team, for example, many streets in Spain were filled with flags and celebrations just like those we would have seen if the Spanish team had won.

Migrants and displaced people have to deal with significant barriers to healthcare access. The resulting absence of health records leads, in turn, to a lack of epidemiological information on the main health problems that affect these populations, impeding the development of health policies and the provision of services

But elite athletes, such as footballers, do not suffer the same stigma and problems often encountered by migrants who are trying to change their lives. For instance, migrants and displaced people have to deal with significant barriers to healthcare access. The resulting absence of health records leads, in turn, to a lack of epidemiological information on the main health problems that affect these populations, impeding the development of health policies and the provision of services.

To address this situation, an ISGlobal team, working with groups in the United Kingdom, Sudan and Tunisia, has launched a project called MENA Migrant Health funded by the Mobility—Global Medicine and Health Research Programme 2020, a joint initiative of the ”la Caixa” Foundation in Spain and three other European foundations. The aim of the MENA Migrant Health project is to improve the monitoring and collection of health data in migrant populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The MENA region is currently host to over 40 million migrants moving to, from and through the region for a variety of reasons. North African countries continue to host large numbers of people from sub-Saharan Africa who seek employment in the area or are trying to cross the Mediterranean to forge a new future in Europe. The project will try to improve health surveillance systems in the region through the co-creation of an innovative digital tool designed to monitor multidimensional indicators. This process will involve the participation of migrant groups, non-governmental organisations, interdisciplinary institutions and the health ministries in each country.

The Migrant Health Country Profile tool (MHCP-t) will facilitate the comparison of data on the diseases affecting migrant populations and monitor vaccination coverage using data from each country’s health information system.

The Migrant Health Country Profile tool (MHCP-t) will facilitate the comparison of data on the diseases affecting migrant populations and monitor vaccination coverage using data from each country’s health information system. The objective of this tool is not only to gather data but also to identify and highlight health inequalities so that these can be addressed by implementing significant changes in public health policies and the way services are provided. Another priority will be to build research capacity in Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan by creating a network of young researchers who will receive the funding they need to access an international doctoral programme.

Whoever wins the World Cup finals today, December 18 must be a day when we take the time to look more closely at the realities of migration. A day to observe, reflect and act accordingly.