The World Cup in Qatar from the very beginning was surrounded by all sorts of scandals. When FIFA first announced it would host the tournament in the Middle East, many suspected the country of bribing the sports authorities. The transfer of matches from the usual summer to winter dates caused even more bewilderment among the fans. Another fat stain on the reputation of the 2022 World Cup was put by rumors about the use of slave labor by the Qataris to build new stadiums.

Even then, Europe began talking about a boycott of the upcoming competitions, but still a minority rebelled. The recent LGBT rights scandal in Qatar was the last straw. According to a recent poll, already half the population of Germany is ready to refuse the World Cup!

If officials listen to the opinion of the people, then Germany will face the fate of Russia, which will also not be in the main tournament of the four years for unsportsmanlike reasons.

Germans against Qatar

A recent sociological study conducted in Germany by the British analytical company YouGov brought a sensational result. Almost half of the country’s population was in favor of withdrawing from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for “humanitarian reasons”, in other words, because of the human rights situation in the host country of the tournament.

The poll showed that 48% of Germans support the idea of ​​a boycott. At the same time, only 28% voted for the country’s participation in the World Cup, and another 24% refrained from commenting.

Photo: © Alex Grimm / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

This result is certainly shocking, given the passion with which football is treated in Germany. Almost 7 million people are registered in the local football federation, and 48 million Germans consider themselves to be fans – more than half of the country’s population is directly connected with football.

What can we say about the popularity of the national team: almost no one in Germany misses its matches at major tournaments. However, this time the four-time world champions are ready to sacrifice the football holiday for the sake of their own principles, above all, political ones.

“Now there is no need to get this flag”

Today, the Germans are concerned about two circumstances. First, a few years ago there were rumors in the press that Qatar was using slave labor to star stadiums for the 2022 World Cup. Later it became known about the deaths of guest workers who worked at local construction sites in inhuman conditions. These rumors at one time greatly outraged many, especially the Norwegians. The Scandinavian team was ready to refuse to participate in the tournament, but in the end they simply did not qualify, so there was no need to boycott it.

Secondly, Germany is seriously concerned about the situation with the rights of LGBT people in the Middle East. General manager of the German national team Oliver Bierhoff spoke about this in detail in mid-June:

“The treatment of homosexuals in Qatar is absolutely unacceptable. A law that criminalizes homosexuality is in no way consistent with our beliefs. What criteria does FIFA actually use when choosing the World Cup host nation? the German was outraged.

Manuel Neuer / Photo: © Soccrates Images / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

In Qatar, belonging to sexual minorities is punishable by serious prison terms, so many Europeans, including Germans, began to express fears about the safety of their stay in the country in advance. It turned out that in Doha, supporters of the LGBT movement will not even be able to use the corporate rainbow flag:

If a fan pulls out a rainbow flag and I take it down, then I’m not doing it because I want to hurt him, but to protect him. Because if not me, then someone else next to him can attack him. I cannot be responsible for the behavior of everyone and therefore I will say to this fan: “Please, now there is no need to get this flag,” the Qatari head of security for the 2022 World Cup explained.

In Qatar, they promised that fans would not be subjected to any persecution, regardless of orientation, but the opinion of the Germans, apparently, will not change. Germany as a whole does not want to see its representatives in a country whose political principles are in stark contrast to their own.

So now, reportedly, the controversial results of the poll will be considered at the highest level. Perhaps soon the German sports authorities will have to take extreme measures – and really refuse to participate in the World Cup. The decision is controversial and tough – but, in any case, it will correspond to the will of the people.