Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
24 November 2022 | 12:30 CAT

French Football Federation President Noël Le Graët is defending Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup, saying there has been “an excessive campaign” against the host country.

Photo credit: FIFA

In an interview with the French channel RTL, Le Graët said, “I believe this country [Qatar] is what it is. I look at the football side. It is up to the politicians to do their job.”

His comments follow a similar statement by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has requested participating countries to “focus on the football”.

In 2020, Qatar won a bid to host the popular global football tournament. However, it has since faced criticism for its treatment of migrant workers, the LGBTQ community and others.

On this week’s ‘Media Lens’ report on Radio Islam International, analyst Ebrahim Deen says the nomination to host the World Cup was tainted.

“Half of the members who voted to give the World Cup to Qatar and Russia [simultaneously] – half of them have been expelled for corruption,” he says.

In 2018, the World Cup was hosted in Russia despite human rights allegations that the country faced, says Deen. “It needs to be contextualised in a sense that this is not necessarily the exception but the norm,” he adds.

Meanwhile, German players covered their mouths during their team photo before their Group E game against Japan in protest for their captain, Manuel Neuer, who was denied permission to wear the ‘OneLove’ armband for the Qatar World Cup.

Earlier this week, Football Associations of seven nations in a joint statement advising their players against wearing the ‘OneLove’ armband.

Listen to the ‘Media Lens’ report with analyst Ebrahim Deen: