Paris joins big screen boycott of World Cup games from Qatar

PARIS: Paris will not broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in public fan zones amid concerns over rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar. It follows similar moves by other French cities, despite France going in as the defending champion.

Some other European teams or federations are also looking at ways to protest. Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, told reporters in the French capital that the decision against public broadcasting of matches is due to “the conditions of the organization of this World Cup, both on the environmental and social level.” He said in an interview with France Blue Paris that “air-conditioned stadiums” and the “conditions in which these facilities have been built are to be questioned.” Rabadan stressed that Paris is not boycotting the soccer tournament, but explained that Qatar’s “model of staging big events goes against what (Paris, the host of the 2024 Olympics) wants to organize.” The move comes despite the city’s football club, Paris Saint-Germain, being owned by Qatar Sports Investments.

“We have very constructive relations with the club and its entourage yet it doesn’t prevent us to say when we disagree,” Rabadan said. Denmark is staging its own protest: Its team jerseys at the World Cup will include a black option to honor migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.

And several European soccer federations want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games to campaign against discrimination. A growing number of French cities are refusing to erect screens to broadcast World Cup matches to protest Qatar’s human rights record.