Seven days earlier than the World Cup is because of begin in Qatar, former Germany captain Philipp Lahm says it was “a mistake” to award the match to the Gulf Arab nation.
Lahm, who’s head of Germany’s organizing committee for the 2024 European Championship, wrote Sunday in a column for Zeit On-line that the World Cup “doesn’t belong” in Qatar and he criticized the human rights state of affairs within the nation.
Lahm acknowledged some progress “however homosexuals are nonetheless being criminalized, ladies don’t have the identical rights as males, and there are restrictions on freedom of the press and expression.” He added that situations for migrant employees are “devastating.” Lahm, who received the World Cup with Germany in 2014, slammed FIFA for awarding the match to Qatar in 2010 when he says there have been higher candidates accessible.
“FIFA has broken soccer and its credibility as a western group,” stated Lahm, who additionally questioned Qatar’s enthusiasm for the game. “Soccer isn’t a preferred sport in Qatar and there’s virtually no alternative for ladies to play,” stated Lahm, who stated he received’t be attending the 32-team competitors that runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.
Lahm’s feedback come after widespread protests within the Bundesliga and Germany’s second division from followers who’ve been voicing the identical considerations.
His column additionally comes after former FIFA president Sepp Blatter criticized the choice to award the match to Qatar. The 86-year-old Blatter cited a gathering between former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and then-UEFA President Michel Platini for swaying key votes. “It’s a rustic that’s too small,” Blatter stated of Qatar, the smallest host by dimension because the 1954 match in Switzerland. “Soccer and the World Cup are too massive for that.”