The World Cup in Qatar divide france, its politicians, soccer players and sports leaders. To see it or not to see it? To go or not to go? To travel or not to travel? Complete boycott?
From the way in which its FIFA headquarters nomination was obtained, the suspicions of corruption, its history of not respecting human rights in the country, to the exploitation of the migrant workers who built the air-conditioned stadiums in the middle of the desert, they are creating a moral and political dilemma in the French republic.
Three cities boycott it
Paris, Lille and Marseille are going to boycott the World Cup in Qatar. their mayors they refuse to display giant screens to be seen, as is normally the case in their cities. Between November 20 and December 18, the French who want to watch the World Cup will do so at home.
Martin Aubry, the socialist mayor of Lille, said that “we will not broadcast any party on a giant screen.”
The mayor of Reims, Arnaud Robinet mentions one of the “most controversial events in the history of sport”.
Paris joined on Monday night. “For us it is not a question of installing broadcasting zones for the matches for several reasons: the first is for the organization of this World Cup, both for the ecological and social aspects. The second is temporality. the fact that it takes place in december”, said the head of sports in Paris, Pierre Rabadan.
The ecological mayor of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic, clarified: “I do not want to be accused of complicity with such a demonstration, with this mismanagement of energy. This broadcast it will be indecent when we call our fellow citizens to sobriety,” he declared.
qatar decided to postpone the World Cup for the winter, to avoid the oppressive summer temperatures of the months of July and August, which can reach 50 degrees in the area. Stadiums have been built with outdoor Air Conditioner, a bad word for the green mayors of Paris and Bordeaux. In Paris practically the air conditioning it’s a taboo in family houses.
Hollande’s call
Calls to boycott the World Cup in Qatar began two months ago in France and are multiplying. The former French socialist president, Francois Hollande did not want to weigh on the players the option of going or not going but about President Emmanuel Macronanother football fan like him.
“If I were acting as head of state at the Elysée, I wouldn’t go,” said Francois Hollande, who was at the Stade de France when Islamist terror attacks began in France at the stadium and cafes.
“I cannot ask soccer players not to go to a competition for which they have been preparing for years,” he said. “I think that for a PSG (Paris St Germain) player, evoking Qatar is not necessarily simple with respect to his employer,” he explained, when the owner is none other than the Emir of Qatar, who studied at the military school in France. .
But Hollande called for considering “the social role of a soccer player” as Kilyan Mbappe.
“On the other hand, an elite player or athlete, and there are many, knew how to act to fight against the racism of which he himself was a victim. They were able to commit themselves to certain causes, in particular on the climate issue or on human rights, ”François Hollande recalled.
“Perhaps some will speak when they are at the World Cup. But that’s not sure, because It is not the place where it is convenient to give your point of view, when you’re waiting for a player to first accomplish his mission, which is to win his competition,” he said.
“When Mbappé takes a position on an issue, he considerably mobilizes a certain number of young people. When we see the number of followers on social media,” she added. “Being an athlete isn’t just about playing with a ball and running fast. It’s also about have a social role and it is not so easy to impose this responsibility on the players,” Hollande said.
Like the World Cup 78
The World Cup in Qatar is generating the same controversies that the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, when the Military Junta ruled, and the concentration and extermination camps had been denounced in Europe, as well as the disappeared.
So the runners-up Dutch players they refused to extend their hand to the Military Junta, who was in the stadium when Argentina won the World Cup in the final against the Netherlands.
The human rights they are the other aspect in question with the Qatari regime. The French mayors criticize the lack of respect for human rights by the Qataris, especially in the treatment of foreign workers, who have built the stadiums and those who have died tryingin work accidents.
Martine Aubry, a former socialist minister and mayor, believes that “it doesn’t make sense in terms of human rights”. The environmentalist mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian, explained that her city, “European capital, seat of the Court of Human Rights, cannot allow abuse and close your eyes when human rights are violated”.
Marseille was the last city to join the boycott. “The city of Marseille is committed to a fairer and more inclusive practice of sport. Marseille, committed to building a green city, nor you can contribute to the promotion of this World Cup 2022 in Qatar,” the mayor’s office said in a statement after calling it a “humanitarian and ecological catastrophe.”
The party that brings together Los Insumisos in France launched a petition and called for a boycott. I consider it “a pure scandal” and “an ecological aberration”.
“One can love football and hate this World Cup,” said Deputy Alexis Corbière of Los Insumisos.
Cantona will not see the World Cup
The former Manchester United footballer, the Frenchman Eric Cantona was another of those who said that “this World Cup doesn’t make any sense. I am not going to watch a single match,” he promised.
The French actor Vincent Lindon spoke of “a climatic and ecological aberration” The newspaper Le Quotidien of the island of Reunion published on its cover, in black: “Without us.”
“In the name of values, Le Quotidien boycotts the World Cup 2022”.
The reasons
Air conditioning in the midst of an energy crisis, the terrible working conditions of the workers, those who have been deported to their countries of origin after finishing the works and have not been able to finish paying their debts with the agents that bring them from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or the Philippines to Qatar, the accusations and suspicions of corruption are some of the the reasons.
There is talk of creating a solidarity fund for those immigrant workers, for those killed in the construction of the stadiums and their families, and for sexual minorities. The footballers discuss wearing a solidarity band on their jersey.
former footballer david beckham he has been nominated special ambassador of Qatar for the World Cup and there is strong criticism.
“It’s perfection for me,” says Beckham in his promotion regarding the country. “It is the mixture of modernity and tradition” he added after a payment of 11 and a half million euros for advertising. It was heavily criticized on social media and among the LGBT community in Qatar.
Amnesty International also stated that the country has a “dismal record” in terms of human rights”.
Paris, correspondent
ap
