A “politicization of sport”? As the Blues take on Denmark on the pitch, Emmanuel Macron shared a few tweets on Saturday to send them his encouragement. He also mentioned, once again, the context in which this World Cup takes place.
The World Cup in Qatar has been controversial for years, both over the living conditions of local workers, the environmental impact of air-conditioned stadiums, and the place of women and LGBTQ+ minorities in the country. These criticisms caused some fans, especially from Western Europe, to boycott the competition.
Emmanuel Macron considered that “in a world facing a succession of crises, we must preserve the spirit of sport, which must continue to be a space to unite people, around universal values.”
“This Soccer World Cup, the first organized in the Arab world, bears witness to the concrete changes that are taking place. Qatar has embarked on this path and must continue. You can count on our support,” he added.
Do not “politicize the sport”
However, before the calls to boycott the World Cup, the head of state Emmanuel Macron had estimated before the start of the competition that “sport should not be politicized.” He announced his presence in Qatar for the semifinal or the final in the event of the presence of the French team.
“Je ne suis pas pour le boycott de la Coupe du monde. Ces questions-là, il faut se les poser avant, au moment où on a attribué des Jeux ou des compétitions”, at-il aussi declared avant le début de la competition .
“It’s good” that Qatar is hosting the World Cup, the first to be organized in the Arab world, because the competition “has made things happen” in the reforms, he said at the time.
The first country in the Middle East to host the competition, the ultra-conservative country has ensured that all fans will be welcome without discrimination, even though its laws criminalize homosexuality.
However, FIFA has threatened sanctions against teams that wear a diversity armband during matches.
Source: BFM TV
