The young generation of the SPÖ has called on Austria's national soccer team in an online petition to boycott the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “It is precisely because we love sport so much that we cannot accept corruption, exploitation and even around 6,500 deaths in Qatar under the guise of football,” said the SPÖ's youth department on Tuesday. The ÖFB team should already exclude its participation in the World Cup regardless of its qualification.
In Qatar, the foreign workers have become the plaything of the monarchy and the world football association FIFA. “One can rightly speak of a form of modern slavery. Women's rights are de facto non-existent in Qatar and homosexuality is punished with imprisonment,” the broadcast said. In addition, in the light of the impending climate catastrophe, it is downright absurd to build air-conditioned stadiums in the desert of Qatar.
The discussions about the World Cup host had picked up speed again in March at the beginning of the qualification. Norway, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands used t-shirt campaigns to draw attention to the human rights situation during their games. Before the Denmark match, Austria's national team presented a banner with the words “Protect human rights” during the anthems.
