There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup, particularly because Qatar is its host nation. It’s a nation that has been criticized for its poor human rights condition and treatment of the LGTBQ+ community for a long time now, and it came into worldwide focus ahead of the World Cup. Sebastian Vettel, who has been an avid advocate for human rights, recently shared his thoughts on the matter.
Thousands of migrant workers died during the construction of the ultra-modern football stadiums around Qatar due to poor working conditions. The country also announced that showing support for the LGBTQ+ community would not be allowed during the World Cup.
It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us.
Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position. pic.twitter.com/tiQKuE4XV7
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 23, 2022
Millions of fans, many players, and even some federations felt that boycotting the tournament would send a strong message to the government of Qatar and FIFA. Vettel agrees to the fact that it would be an impactful statement but also admitted that football should not suffer because of it.
Playing the FIFA World Cup is unique for football players, says Sebastian Vettel
The FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting tournament in the world. It has the most number of spectators by far and is followed worldwide, even in nations that did not qualify. As a result, every footballer dreams of representing his or her country on the World stage. Choosing not to play for their country just because it’s held in Qatar wouldn’t have been fair.
“You can’t expect the players to come together and decide: We’re going to skip this moment, this unique feature in our lives, playing a World Cup, for political reasons,” the four-time World Champion said.
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Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari does say LGBTQ fans will be welcome in Qatar https://t.co/ancKG9c57H
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) April 1, 2022
Vettel went on to suggest that it’s easier for fans to just boycott the tournament by not watching it. However, that is not morally right according to him, as he feels it’s punishing the players who worked hard to be at the top of their game, represent their country and entertain millions of fans.
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Vettel reveals what football federations should have done ahead of World Cup
Vettel went on to say that he himself is watching the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is a huge fan of football, and not watching his country play seems unfair on the players. The former Red Bull driver added that the statement should not be directed towards boycotting Qatar as a nation.
“If such statements are made as those of the World Cup ambassador, then we should simply not go to Qatar! The statement was more than backward-looking,” the 35-year-old added. “The sport, the whole federation should say: This is not the right place to do sport there.”
Vettel’s home nation, Germany, lost their opening group stage match to Japan earlier this week. The four-time World Champions take on 2010 winners Spain in a heavyweight bout on Sunday evening.
