BANGKOK (Reuters) – Sports should not be politicised, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, brushing off suggestions that he should boycott the World Cup that will start in Qatar in a few days.
The decision to award Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup has been marred by controversy, including accusations of corruption and human rights violations, as well as concerns over its environmental impact.
Some rights groups and politicians have called for a diplomatic boycott, saying political leaders should not travel to Qatar for the event, even if their team qualifies for the final stages.
Asked about that during a visit to Thailand, Macron, whom French media say would travel to Qatar if Les Bleus reach the semi-finals, said: “Sports should not be politicized.”
“Whether the question is climate or whether it is about human rights, you should not ask yourself those questions when the event occurs, but when it is attributed” to a host country, he said.
Qatar has faced criticism from rights groups over issues such as treatment of migrant workers, the environmental impact of open-air air-conditioning at stadiums and the fact that homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim country.
World Cup organisers have repeatedly said everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome during the tournament.
The government of Qatar said its labour system was still a work in progress but denied a lot of the accusations by Amnesty International and other rights groups.
“I am constantly talking to Qatar and other countries, on all subjects,” Macron said, when asked about those criticisms. “We have frank, friendly and constructive relations.”
France has crafted close ties with Qatar, a key economic ally.
Some European diplomats told Reuters that pressure to maintain good ties with Qatar is increasing as the continent heads for a winter of energy shortages, as the Middle Eastern nation is viewed as an alternative gas supplier to Russia.
“I don’t know in what context the Olympic Games that we will organise in France (in 2024) will take place on the geopolitical level,” Macron said.
“But these major events are meant to allow athletes from all countries, sometimes including countries at war, to live their sport.
“And also to find, through sport, ways of discussing where people can no longer talk to each other. I think that should be preserved.”
(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
