French Cities Continue To Boycott Broadcasting Of FIFA World Cup, Paris Latest In List
Paris: The city of Paris has refused to put giant screens in public fan zones to broadcast the matches of the FIFA World Cup due to the violations of migrant workers’ rights in Qatar and the impact of the tournament on the environment.
Many French cities have already dropped their plans to put up giant screens in public fan zones and now Paris has joined the list as well.
The deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, Pierre Rabadan stated, “The decision against public broadcasting of matches is due to the conditions of the organisation of this World Cup, both on the environmental and social level.”
He added, “air-conditioned stadiums and the conditions in which these facilities have been built are to be questioned.”
Pierre Rabadan also said that the city is not boycotting the FIFA World Cup but the model of staging big events goes against what Paris wants to organise (Paris Olympics 2024).
Pairs is also the home of PSG which is owned by Qatar Sports Investments. However, Pierre Rabadan said that the move related to the FIFA World Cup hasn’t affected their relationship with the club.
He said, “We have very constructive relations with the club and its entourage yet it doesn’t prevent us to say when we disagree.”
Apart from Paris, Strasbourg has also refused to do the screening of the World Cup. Mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian said, “It’s impossible for us to ignore the many warnings of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers by non-governmental organisations. We cannot condone these abuses, we cannot turn a blind eye when human rights are violated.”
“While climate change is a palpable reality, with fires and droughts and other disaster, organising a soccer tournament in the desert defies common sense and amounts to an ecological disaster,” he concluded.
Fifa World Cup will begin on 20th November with the match between Qatar and Ecuador.