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The French capital, Paris, has announced that it has joined several cities in refraining from showing the matches of the Qatar World Cup 2020, which begins next month, on giant screens or allocating places for fans. The municipalities of the French cities justified their decision with the issue of human rights and the rumors of large numbers of deaths among workers in the facilities of the Qatar World Cup and its eight stadiums, as well as the provision of energy at a time when Europe is going through a gas crisis.
Paris joined several French cities in refraining from showing matches Mondial Qatar 2022, which begins on the 20th of next month, will be shown on giant screens or assigning places for fans to follow the most important football event ever.
“For us, it was not possible to set up venues for the transfer of matches for several reasons: the first is the conditions for organizing this World Cup, both from an environmental and social point of view. The second is the timing and the reality It (extends) in December.”
Paris followed in the footsteps of several French cities such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Nancy, Reims or Strasbourg, Lille and Rodez, which took a similar decision regarding the event it is organizing. Diameter Between November 20 and December 18.
The municipality of Marseille, headed by the socialist Benoit Bayan, and with the participation of a large coalition of leftists and environmentalists, justified its decision by saying that “this tournament has gradually turned into a humanitarian and environmental disaster that does not correspond to the values that we want to see carried through sports, especially football.”
In a statement, the municipality stressed that “Marseille, which is strongly committed to the values of participation and solidarity in sport and is committed to building a more ecological city, cannot contribute to the promotion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.”
In turn, Bordeaux mayor Pierre Hormeck told the media, “I have the real impression that if Bordeaux hosts these fan venues, I will be an accomplice in crime” in “this sporting event that represents all human, environmental and sporting perversions.”
Hormick said, “You cannot invite your citizens to sobriety (in energy consumption) and at the same time be complicit in a deviation of this kind in the field of energy,” adding that “those who awarded the 2010 World Cup to Qatar were light years away from energy sobriety.” “.
The environmental mayor, who was elected in 2020, explained that the decision would not have changed if the World Cup had been held in the summer, stressing that the decision to refrain from placing giant screens would remain in effect, even if the defending French team qualified for the final match.
The mayors also justified their decision with the issue of human rights and the rumored large numbers of deaths among workers in the facilities of the Qatar World Cup and its eight stadiums.
While the official toll does not exceed 3 deaths, the International Labor Organization stated in a report that 50 workers died in workplace accidents in Qatar in 2020, and 500 were seriously injured.
Rabadan stressed that “all these reasons make us say that it (the World Cup finals in Qatar) is a model for major events that we do not want to see continuation and that contradict what we want to organize in Paris.”
FRANCE 24/AFP