The human rights organization would rather use the international attention at the World Cup.
The human rights organization Amnesty International speaks out against a boycott of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, the organization continues to refer to the major grievances in the emirate. “We want to use the international attention at the World Cup. It is now important that the reforms lead to long-term improvements beyond the World Cup, ”Amnesty expert Lisa Salza told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Tuesday).
The World Cup host has been criticized for years because of the working conditions for foreign workers. The legal situation is still precarious, said Salza. “A big problem is that exploitative employers are not sanctioned by the government.” The government of Qatar had repeatedly rejected the criticism and pointed to reforms and changes.
The German ex-national player Toni Kroos hopes that the international attention will not diminish after the tournament (November 21 to December 18, 2022). “The fact is: the tournament will take place. The question is how to deal with it. I think one should try to give the tournament the largest possible stage to point out the grievances in the country, ”said Kroos to the portal“ t-online.de ”. “But please not only before and during the tournament, but also afterwards.”
It shouldn't happen “that the problems in Qatar are discussed before the tournament and until the day of the World Cup final and then there is calm again,” said Kroos. “The media interest in Qatar must not go away when the footballers leave again. This is important.”