The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said Thursday that “Qatar does not respect human rights”, three days before the start of the 2022 World Cup, but will attend Portugal-Ghana on November 24.
“Qatar does not respect human rights. All the construction of the stadiums and such… but well, let’s leave that behind. It’s reprehensible, but let’s focus on the team. We started very well and finished very well,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the quick interview area of the Estádio José Alvalade.
The President of the Republic was speaking after Portugal’s 4-0 victory over Nigeria in the last friendly before leaving for Qatar on Friday to play the World Cup.
Rebelo de Sousa explained to the players that this will be “a very difficult championship”, not only because of an unprecedented calendar in the European winter, but also because of “very difficult conditions, from the construction of the stadiums to human rights”.
Today, the Civic Front association asked the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, António Costa, and the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, to boycott the event.
In this interview, he stated that he will be in Qatar to witness the debut of the Portuguese team: “Next week, in Portugal-Ghana, I will be there.”
Regarding sports performance, he valued today’s match, which showed that the 26 squad could “rise to the occasion” in the final phase of the World Cup, having demonstrated “technical competence and team spirit”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said, however, that the players must face “every challenge as a final”, and that he believes in a possible victory in the final, “but it is very difficult”.
Although the Qatari authorities deny it, several organizations point to thousands of deaths in that country between 2010 and 2019 in work related to the World Cup, with a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, from February this year, citing the figure at 6,500. deaths, a figure that many consider conservative.
In addition to the unexplained deaths, the ‘kafala’ labor system and forced labor, in extreme heat and with long working hours, among other attacks, have been remembered and exposed for years by non-governmental organizations and independent reports.
In recent years, numerous organizations and institutions have also called for the defense of the rights of supporters, and others, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, taking into account the persecution to which they are subjected in Qatar.
Several national teams, such as Denmark, Australia or the United States, have actively positioned themselves against abuse or in favor of the inclusion and protection of both migrants and the LGBTQIA+ community, both residents in the country and those who They intend to travel to watch the game. games.
The Men’s Soccer World Cup will be held between November 20 and December 18, with the Portuguese team classified and placed in group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea.
Source: TSF
