Herzogenaurach (dpa) – The German national football team is continuing its information series on the human rights situation in the World Cup host country Qatar. A dialogue forum is planned for today in the team quarters in Herzogenaurach.
DFB director Oliver Bierhoff announced further measures after the first exchange with human rights organizations at the end of March.
Among the guests in the “Home Ground” at DFB partner Adidas are the founder of the football ambassador eV, Roland Bischof, FIFA security director Helmut Spahn, Martin Endemann, the spokesman for the fan association Football Supporters Europe, as well as ex-national player Thomas Hitzlsperger, who works for the DFB as an ambassador for diversity.
The World Cup host has been criticized for the human rights situation and the conditions for foreign workers since it was awarded at the end of 2010. The focus was and is on the so-called kafala system, which has been officially abolished in Qatar and which practically robs workers from abroad of all their rights. The government repeatedly refers to numerous reforms – especially in the area of workers’ rights. Violations of the new laws would be rigorously pursued, according to the emirate.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf recently announced that he would coordinate with other European associations for joint campaigns. It would now be “unfortunate if you got into a kind of outbidding competition: who is doing the coolest action or who gets the most applause for action X, Y or Z,” Neuendorf said. “It’s good if we speak with a European voice, and that’s being prepared.”