The German Football Association (DFB) hosted the conference entitled “Sport and Human Rights: Before, during and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar” at the DFB Campus on Monday, 19th September. Around 90 participants from the fields of sport, politics, media and business took part in an intensive discussion about the situation in the host nation, Qatar, and the handling of the World Cup. DFB.de has summarised the quotes from the congress.
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf: “I have already made two concrete demands, which I stand by without any ifs or buts: the establishment of a Migration Working Centre by the Qatari government, and a fund for those, and the dependents of, who lost their lives or were injured during the construction of the stadiums or infrastructure. The second demand regarding the fund is also directed at FIFA. FIFA must take their own principles and human rights policy seriously, and we hope that at this conference we can raise a new impetus to draw further attention to this topic. More conversations will help to raise the awareness. I will travel to Qatar with the Minister of the Interior in October. There were commendable changes to law in Qatar made after 2017, concerning minimum wage, working hours and free movement of workers. However, there are still issues regarding the implementation of these laws, and it has been admitted on the Qatari side that they aren’t as far along as they would hope to be on this. The awarding of the tournament to Qatar has already changed the sport and will continue to do so. It has meant that people are thinking more about what criteria are required for such an award.”
Joshua Kimmich, Germany international: "We have had a few briefings about this topic. We, as the German national team, want to stand for certain values, which is why we took the Human Rights action. As sportspeople, we are caught in a conflict. On the one hand, we want to and can stand for our values, but on the other hand, we are judged for our sporting performance in the end. As a team, we didn't entertain the idea of a boycott. From a sporting side, I think the calls for a boycott were unfair. Ultimately, a World Cup is every four years – the problems in Qatar began long before they were awarded the World Cup."
Oliver Bierhoff, managing director of the national teams and academies: “We have to find a careful balance between our responsibilities and duties as human beings as well as representatives of our nations at a World Cup. It cannot lead to us having no desire to take part. The team takes the topic of human rights very seriously. In March, we held a joint meeting with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch. It is a topic that we will raise again in this international break, and once more shortly before the tournament begins. We are a group of young people, so not of all us are politically inclined, but we are all aware of the issue.”
Celia Sasic, DFB vice president of equality and diversity: "Football gets a lot of attention, and therefore has a big responsibility. I want to call the awarding of this World Cup into question. As a sportsperson you're obliged to give your best on the pitch. But in interviews I expect a strong defence of our values from our players. In two years, we have the European Championships in Germany, in which we can all demonstrate what we are demanding at the moment."
Luise Amtsberg, member of the Bundestag and Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance: “It is difficult to just ‘carry on as normal’. We have to talk about the politics behind the awarding of the tournament, or about the roles of the sponsors. We must also ask how these major events will look in the future. It’s not just the credibility or the human rights record of a given country at stake here, but also the credibility and the enjoyment of the game of football itself. That is indeed sad, because the very idea of a major sporting event is to grow together through sport, and to promote international understanding and cultural exchange. If that is in danger, that causes problems for sport and those who consume it. At its best, sport can change situations in countries and positively influence them. FIFA’s cautious measures are expandable. Qatar has taken far-reaching measures with regard to the World Cup, that are unrivalled in the region. Yet we concernedly observe that many of these changes, especially in terms of the workers, only exist on paper and have not practically been put into place.”
Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF): “We have to acknowledge that sporting associations have not done enough for human rights so far. It’s not a Qatar issue, but rather one for FIFA, UEFA and national football associations. We all have to get involved now. As sporting associations, we find ourselves still working out how we deal with these challenges. We are currently working with a balancing act. We cannot stop playing football. We currently have a steep learning curve. The most important thing is that we understand that this topic isn’t going anywhere.”
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany: “We are trying our best in Qatar. The whole thing is a long journey, upon which we have taken our first steps. This journey will certainly not end after the tournament does.”
Markus N. Beeko, General Secretary of Amnesty International Germany: “Sport and human rights have never really been seen as going hand-in-hand, and are rarely thought of together. Major sporting events were used for political purposes for too long. It is now time to change this relationship.”
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The German Football Association (DFB) hosted the conference entitled “Sport and Human Rights: Before, during and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar” at the DFB Campus on Monday, 19th September. Around 90 participants from the fields of sport, politics, media and business took part in an intensive discussion about the situation in the host nation, Qatar, and the handling of the World Cup. DFB.de has summarised the quotes from the congress.
DFB president Bernd Neuendorf: “I have already made two concrete demands, which I stand by without any ifs or buts: the establishment of a Migration Working Centre by the Qatari government, and a fund for those, and the dependents of, who lost their lives or were injured during the construction of the stadiums or infrastructure. The second demand regarding the fund is also directed at FIFA. FIFA must take their own principles and human rights policy seriously, and we hope that at this conference we can raise a new impetus to draw further attention to this topic. More conversations will help to raise the awareness. I will travel to Qatar with the Minister of the Interior in October. There were commendable changes to law in Qatar made after 2017, concerning minimum wage, working hours and free movement of workers. However, there are still issues regarding the implementation of these laws, and it has been admitted on the Qatari side that they aren’t as far along as they would hope to be on this. The awarding of the tournament to Qatar has already changed the sport and will continue to do so. It has meant that people are thinking more about what criteria are required for such an award.”
Joshua Kimmich, Germany international: "We have had a few briefings about this topic. We, as the German national team, want to stand for certain values, which is why we took the Human Rights action. As sportspeople, we are caught in a conflict. On the one hand, we want to and can stand for our values, but on the other hand, we are judged for our sporting performance in the end. As a team, we didn't entertain the idea of a boycott. From a sporting side, I think the calls for a boycott were unfair. Ultimately, a World Cup is every four years – the problems in Qatar began long before they were awarded the World Cup."
Oliver Bierhoff, managing director of the national teams and academies: “We have to find a careful balance between our responsibilities and duties as human beings as well as representatives of our nations at a World Cup. It cannot lead to us having no desire to take part. The team takes the topic of human rights very seriously. In March, we held a joint meeting with Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch. It is a topic that we will raise again in this international break, and once more shortly before the tournament begins. We are a group of young people, so not of all us are politically inclined, but we are all aware of the issue.”
Celia Sasic, DFB vice president of equality and diversity: "Football gets a lot of attention, and therefore has a big responsibility. I want to call the awarding of this World Cup into question. As a sportsperson you're obliged to give your best on the pitch. But in interviews I expect a strong defence of our values from our players. In two years, we have the European Championships in Germany, in which we can all demonstrate what we are demanding at the moment."
Luise Amtsberg, member of the Bundestag and Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance: “It is difficult to just ‘carry on as normal’. We have to talk about the politics behind the awarding of the tournament, or about the roles of the sponsors. We must also ask how these major events will look in the future. It’s not just the credibility or the human rights record of a given country at stake here, but also the credibility and the enjoyment of the game of football itself. That is indeed sad, because the very idea of a major sporting event is to grow together through sport, and to promote international understanding and cultural exchange. If that is in danger, that causes problems for sport and those who consume it. At its best, sport can change situations in countries and positively influence them. FIFA’s cautious measures are expandable. Qatar has taken far-reaching measures with regard to the World Cup, that are unrivalled in the region. Yet we concernedly observe that many of these changes, especially in terms of the workers, only exist on paper and have not practically been put into place.”
Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF): “We have to acknowledge that sporting associations have not done enough for human rights so far. It’s not a Qatar issue, but rather one for FIFA, UEFA and national football associations. We all have to get involved now. As sporting associations, we find ourselves still working out how we deal with these challenges. We are currently working with a balancing act. We cannot stop playing football. We currently have a steep learning curve. The most important thing is that we understand that this topic isn’t going anywhere.”
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany: “We are trying our best in Qatar. The whole thing is a long journey, upon which we have taken our first steps. This journey will certainly not end after the tournament does.”
Markus N. Beeko, General Secretary of Amnesty International Germany: “Sport and human rights have never really been seen as going hand-in-hand, and are rarely thought of together. Major sporting events were used for political purposes for too long. It is now time to change this relationship.”
