Social change, sustainability, the best World Cup of all time: these are FIFA’s promises for the World Cup in Qatar. What is truth, what is lie? The fact check.
“Together we will deliver the best World Cup ever – on and off the field.” That’s what FIFA boss Gianni Infantino promised. Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Association, sees it differently. In March 2022, she gave a remarkable speech at the FIFA Congress in Doha and sharply criticized the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar. The core concerns and values like “Human rights, equality and democracy“would not have been in the starting XI when it was awarded.
Concerns from Germany too
Holding a soccer World Cup in a country where soccer temples have been built in the middle of the desert – at the cost of thousands of lives. Not only Lise Klaveness addresses the fate of all those who toiled for the World Cup in Qatar and lost their lives in the process. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf will travel to Doha three weeks before the start of the tournament together with the German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser (SPD). They want to talk about human rights, safety promises for fans and compensation for workers – and in doing so they step on FIFA’s toes.
The facts behind the promises
Will the World Cup bring the announced social change to Qatar? Is the world association promoting football in the region with this tournament? Or is FIFA only interested in the money in one of the richest countries in the world? The ARD documentary “World Cup of Lies” takes a look behind the glossy pictures, questions the grandiose advertising messages and checks the figures officially announced by the tournament organizers.
Film: Ramin Sina and Philipp Sohmer
Online version: Sophie Salmen