By Ojora Babatunde
Germany head coach, Hansi Flick has criticised the 2022 FIFA World Cup coming up in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.
This will be the second time that the FIFA World Cup will be hosted in Asia, and first time in the Middle East. The 2002 FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Ranked eleventh in the latest FIFA rankings, the German side are one of the most successful national teams in international competitions, having won four World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014), three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996), and one Confederations Cup (2017).
Hansi Flick’s men are already in camp as they prepare to take on Hungary and England in a UEFA Nations League game.
The 2014 World Champions are drawn in the same group with Japan, Spain and Costa Rica. Germany lost to Spain in the Semifinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, courtesy a Carles Puyol header. It will be a rematch for the two World Champions.
Speaking with Süddeutsche Zeitung in an exclusive interview (translation via iMiaSanMia), Flick said ; “Was it right to award the World Cup to Qatar? This questions should have been answered much earlier, with a no!
“Fact is that in Qatar when it comes to human rights, when it comes to sustainability, a lot is not right, it’s obvious.
“At the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers, the team made a statement with the words ‘Human Rights’ on their shirts, we had workshops and the issue of human rights will be on the agenda again now.”
Qatar’s government said 30,000 foreign labourers were hired just to build the stadiums. Most come from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines.
Some labourers protested about unpaid wages, forcing them to work long hours through harsh conditions and, at times, against their will.
According to a new report by Amnesty International, a majority of football fans from 15 countries signed a petition asking for FIFA to compensate migrant workers in Qatar for human rights violations during the country’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
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