Paris joins other French cities to boycott public broadcasting of 2022 FIFA World Cup matches
Follow Us
In response to worries over the treatment of migrant workers’ rights and the effects of the tournament in Qatar on the environment, Paris will not broadcast World Cup games on big screens in public fan zones. Despite being the defending champion, France issued similar steps in other French cities.
According to Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, the decision to forgo public broadcasting of games was made because “the conditions of the organization of this World Cup, both on the environmental and social level.”
He said in an interview with France Blue Paris that “air-conditioned stadiums” and the “conditions in which these facilities have been built are to be questioned.” Rabadan emphasized that Paris is not skipping the football tournament but added that Qatar’s “model of staging big events goes against what [Paris, the host of the 2024 Olympics] wants to organise.”
Despite Qatar Sports Investments owning the city’s football team, Paris Saint-Germain, the decision was made. “We have very constructive relations with the club and its entourage yet it doesn’t prevent us to say when we disagree,” Rabadan said.
READ MORE: Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta set to take up a special role at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Paris is not the only French city to boycott the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
To protest Qatar’s human rights record, an increasing number of French cities are refusing to install screens to show World Cup games. Public broadcasts of the World Cup were cancelled due to claims of human rights violations and the exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar, according to the mayor of Strasbourg, which serves as the northeastern home of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights.
“It’s impossible for us to ignore the many warnings of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers by non-governmental organisations,” Jeanne Barseghian said in a statement. “We cannot condone these abuses, we cannot turn a blind eye when human rights are violated.”
ALSO READ: BREAKING: Ukraine to join Spain and Portugal’s bid to get hosting rights for 2030 FIFA World Cup
Stay Updated!
Sujeeth Shetty
(766 Articles Published)