Germany’s international Toni Kroos has described the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup as “wrong”, but believes that boycotting the tournament is not the right way to protest, amid concerns over workers’ human rights and working conditions.
A new report revealed that at least 6,500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was honored to host the prestigious tournament, prompting several national teams to lead protests, while some boycott the tournament.
Kroos is against the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar Fran Santiago / Getty Images
And while speaking on his brother Felix’s podcast, Einfach mal Luppen, Kroos acknowledged that he personally believes it was “wrong” to reward Qatar with the 2022 World Cup, citing human rights violations as a major issue.
“I think it’s wrong that this tournament was given [to Qatar], says Kroos, who has been forced to watch his teammates from home this week, after suffering a groin injury.
“Immigrant workers are exposed to days without rest with temperatures below 50 degrees, they suffer from insufficient nutrition, without drinking water and at insane temperatures. All these points are absolutely unacceptable. “
The Real Madrid star does not believe that the World Cup should be boycotted, but that “football always attracts extreme attention.”
Norway is gaining momentum from other national teams such as Germany in its protest for human rights in the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar. pic.twitter.com/7UlIJLi459
– Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) March 27, 2021
“Would a boycott serve to improve working conditions? I do not think so. Football always attracts extreme attention. Was it before the tournament or during it.”
Norway has staged two protests against Qatar in the latest round of international matches, first with a t-shirt with the words “human rights on and off the pitch” embossed over it and then held up five fingers before kick-off, a sign used in Asia in its own human rights protests.
Germany followed suit and teamed up to spell the words “human rights” before their collision with Iceland, as pressure is mounting on Qatar to address these issues as soon as possible.
