“They made a big mistake”- Manchester United legend hits out at David Beckham and others for supporting 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
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Former professional football players, including David Beckham of Manchester United, have allegedly made a “huge mistake” by agreeing to serve as ambassadors for the World Cup in Qatar this winter, according to Eric Cantona.
The biggest tournament in football has received a number of severe criticisms, many of which are related to Qatar’s human rights record and its handling of migrant labour. One of football’s most outspoken and charismatic players, Cantona, announced in January that he will skip the World Cup this year.
“It’s only about money and the way they treated the people who built the stadiums, it’s horrible. And thousands of people died. And yet we will celebrate this World Cup. Personally, I will not watch it. I understand football is a business. But I thought it was the only place where everybody could have a chance,” he told The Athletic.
He also said that he does not expect players to take up the same stance, adding: “If you have a player who says, ‘I will boycott the World Cup’, you say, ‘Bravo’. But you cannot condemn a 20-year-old player, who has a 10-year career, who lives in a world surrounded by people from football 24 hours per day.”
“But do speak about the federations, speak about the politicians, who have the power to say, ‘No, we do not go to the World Cup’. We cannot be disappointed if players don’t want to boycott the World Cup, because at the top, the politicians, the presidents, the federations, the ministers…the real power, everywhere in the world, they have the power to boycott it. It is too easy to say the players.”
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What Eric Cantona had to say about fellow Manchester United no. 7 David Beckham endorsing the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Then, Cantona was questioned about whether he would accept a position as an ambassador for Qatar and the World Cup in the same capacity as ex-players like global icon David Beckham.
“I would not do it at all. I do completely the opposite. In January 2022, I started to say that. Maybe I was the first one,” he replied. “But I am free to do it. And of course, an ex-player paid to do this kind of thing…It could be they don’t know what has happened there. Or, if they know it, I think they did wrong. I think they made a big mistake. A big, big mistake.”
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Sujeeth Shetty
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