France joins the boycott of the Qatar 2022 World Cup
On October 3, Paris became the latest French city to announce that it will not install giant screens or a fan zone for the next World Cup in Qatar.
He cited human rights and environmental concerns in the host nation.
Lille, Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Reims also boycott the competition for ethical reasons.
Pierre Rabadan, in charge of sport at the Paris City Hall, said the fact that the event was held in winter was also a factor in the city’s decision.
The movement began on Saturday 1 October after the socialist mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, declared that the World Cup in Qatar was “foolish in terms of human rights, the environment and sport”.
Like other mayors, both left and right, he blamed concerns about workers’ rights in Qatar; the allegedly high number of deaths among foreign workers; and the environmental impact of the stadiums, all equipped with external air conditioning.
In Marseille, there were plans for a giant screening if France made it to the final, but that has now been cancelled.
The city’s socialist mayor, Benoit Payan, said the competition “has progressively become a human and environmental catastrophe, incompatible with the values we expect sport, and especially football, to promote.”