Eric Cantona has never had his tongue in his pocket. Ten months before the start of this controversial World Cup in Qatar, the former French international and Manchester United icon sharply criticized the choice of the Gulf country in an interview with the British daily “Daily Mail”. “Over the past decades, you have had a lot of events like the Olympics or the World Cups in emerging countries – like Russia or China. But Qatar is not a country of football. I’m not against the idea of hosting a World Cup in a country where there is a possibility of developing and promoting football, like in South Africa or the United States in the 90s. But in Qatar , the truth is, there is no such potential. There is nothing. It’s just a question of money I think. ”
The annoyance and disappointment of Eric Cantona are such that the sporting event of this end of the year does not arouse any excitement in him. To the point of boycotting what should be the big party of football. “To be honest, I don’t really care about the next World Cup, which is not a real World Cup for me,” he adds.
The human catastrophe that the construction of the stadiums also represents, with more than 6,000 workers deceased, is another reason for Cantona’s distaste for an edition he will not watch. “It’s all about the money and the way they treated the people who built the stadiums, it’s horrible. And thousands of people have died. And yet, we are going to celebrate this World Cup. ”