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Dissenting voices against the Qatar 2022 are increasing with a handful of days remaining. Philipp Lahm has joined these ranks, claiming it was a ‘mistake’ to host the quadrennial international competition in the tiny Gulf Arab country.
Disgraced FIFA chief, Sepp Blatter, had opened the floodgates of criticism. The Swiss shared that the country is too small to host an event as grand as the FIFA World Cup.
Lahm shares Blatter’s views despite being busy with the 2024 European Championships as he heads Germany’s organizing committee. He has the correct bird’s eye view of hosting a gala of this magnitude and is not pleased with what he sees.
In his column for Zeit Online, he laid out reasons for why he opines Qatar was the wrong choice for hosting the competition. The size of the country is not the main topic upon which he criticises FIF.
It is the country’s human rights situation that are being derided and questioned by players and administrators. While he admitted that the Gulf nation has made progress in recent years, he shared that there is a long way to go for being at par.
The Bayern Munich legend questioned their stance on homosexuals and women’s rights to make his point while stating that conditions for migrant workers were “devastating” to say the least.
The 2014 world cup winner believes that FIFA damaged itself as a ‘western organization’ with the awarding of the competition to Qatar. Lahm will not be attending the competition in protest, which he
“… but homosexuals are still being criminalized, women do not have the same rights as men, and there are restrictions on freedom of the press and expression,” Lahm wote.
“FIFA has damaged soccer and its credibility as a western organization,” he added. “Soccer isn’t a popular sport in Qatar and there’s practically no opportunity for girls to play.”
🚨 Philipp Lahm announces he will boycott the next #WorldCup2022 in Qatar! ❌
"I will not be part of the German delegation and I have no intention to make the trip as a supporter." I'd rather stay home . Human rights must play a greater role in the allocation of competitions". pic.twitter.com/iQpQNHm5L0
— Bee Sports (@BeeSports_app) November 11, 2022
Not the right time for World Cup
In addition to the human rights issues, there has been scathing criticism of the much-awaited footballing extravaganza due to the time it is being staged at. While all previous editions have been organised during June-July, due to Qatar’s climate the event will take place in December.
This has had an adverse impact on the domestic European leagues. In an interview with the Athletic, Bruno Fernandes questioned whether the timing of the competition should have been considered as it is a global event. He admitted that the climate in the region only allows for November-December dates but is it inclusive for all?
He commented that in the current circumstances, children’s schooling will be affected. For fans, they will have to sacrifice between the end-of-year vacations or the early trip in the penultimate month of the calendar year.
“It’s not exactly the time we want to be playing in the World Cup,” the Manchester United attacker shared. “I think for everyone, players and fans, it’s not the best time. Kids will be at school, people will be working and the timings will not be the best for people to watch the games.
“We want football to be for everyone – everyone has to be included and involved in a World Cup because a World Cup is the world.
“It’s for everyone – it doesn’t matter who. These kinds of things I think should not happen at any time.
“But for a World Cup it’s more than football, it’s a party for fans, and players, something that’s a joy to watch, should be done in a better way.”
Bruno Fernandes has spoken out against World Cup in Qatar 🗣 pic.twitter.com/l8QvDk0sfO
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 13, 2022
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