Germany’s Lahm critical of FIFA for choosing Qatar
BERLIN • Seven days before the World Cup is due to start in Qatar, former Germany captain Philipp Lahm says it was “a mistake” to award the tournament to the Gulf Arab country.
Lahm, who is head of Germany’s organizing committee for the 2024 European Championship, wrote Sunday in a column for Zeit Online that the World Cup “does not belong” in Qatar and he criticized the human rights issues in the nation.
Lahm acknowledged some progress “but homosexuals are still being criminalized, women do not have the same rights as men, and there are restrictions on freedom of the press and expression.” He added that conditions for migrant workers are “devastating.”
Lahm, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, slammed FIFA for awarding the tournament to Qatar in 2010 when he said there were better candidates available.
“FIFA has damaged soccer and its credibility as a western organization,” said Lahm, who also questioned Qatar’s enthusiasm for the sport.
“Soccer isn’t a popular sport in Qatar and there’s practically no opportunity for girls to play,” said Lahm, who said he won’t be attending the 32-team competition that runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also criticized the decision to award the tournament to Qatar. The 86-year-old Blatter cited a meeting between former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and then-uefa president Michel Platini for swaying key votes.
“It’s a country that’s too small,” Blatter said of Qatar, the smallest host by size since the 1954 tournament in Switzerland.
Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen said his country’s goals at the World Cup have increased after the boost they got from their run to the European Championship semifinals last year.
The team bounced back from the traumatic loss of Eriksen to a heart attack in their Euro 2020 opener against Finland to get out of their group and make it all the way to the last four where they narrowly lost to England.
“We will progress from the group, and we will go as far as possible,” Eriksen said in an interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK.