From the point of view of DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, the controversial awarding of the World Cup to Qatar and the discussions surrounding it have already changed the sport.
“He has become much more political,” said Neuendorf in ZDF’s “heute-journal”. “And we will – I believe – no longer experience an award without taking into account such issues as sustainability and human rights. You have to discuss these things in advance,” added the head of the German Football Association.
Neuendorf is part of a delegation from Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), who traveled to the Gulf Emirate on Monday for a two-day visit. Upon arrival, the Minister for Sport and Neuendorf were guests at a roundtable discussion on the situation of construction workers, mainly from South Asia, as well as transport workers and domestic workers.
Neuendorf emphasized on ZDF that the world soccer association FIFA had already included the subject of human rights in its catalog of criteria for awarding future tournaments. It must be in the interests of FIFA and football organizations to gain social acceptance for the awarding of such tournaments.
The World Cup finals in Qatar begin on November 20th and end with the final on December 18th.