The President of the German Football Association (DFB) Bernd Neuendorf speaks about the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Since March 11 of this year, Bernd Neuendorf has been in office as DFB President and right from the start he has had to face the uncomfortable questions about the 2022 World Cup in the desert state of Qatar. The 61-year-old is looking forward to the major sporting event and at the same time he sees responsibility for the DFB and the German national team. Nevertheless, in his opinion, it is asking too much to hold the footballers accountable. They should now concentrate on the sporty.
Human rights violations on Qatar’s World Cup construction sites
According to the world football association FIFA, three workers are said to have died on stadium construction sites. The human rights organization Amnesty International assumes thousands of deaths. Neuendorf advocates compensation payments for the families of deceased workers. “I made my expectations clear to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. FIFA has a responsibility and it must live up to it,” he said.
Awarding at future tournaments should be more critical
Neuendorf, who describes himself as a pragmatist, wants to look ahead. “The decision of 2010 (awarding the World Cup to Qatar, editor’s note) can no longer be reversed,” but when awarding future tournaments one must proceed more critically and attentively with regard to human rights and sustainability. He thinks boycotting the World Cup is the wrong way, instead he is promoting an open discourse.
On October 31, Bernd Neuendorf will travel to Qatar with the Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Feser, to speak with the host about human rights in the country. The 2022 World Cup begins just three weeks later – it will probably be the most controversial football World Cup that the world will have seen.
