'Shouldn't happen again' - Ex-Germany captain Philipp Lahm critical of Qatar World Cup over human rights record

Former Germany captain Philipp Lahm has criticised the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar due to the country’s human rights record, and says he is not planning to attend the tournament. A report from the Guardian last year revealed 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup in 2010. Ad Human Rights Watch has also said Qatari laws discriminate against migrants, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Euro 2020Hayward: Why 2000 and 2010 — not Euro 96 — are keys to understanding this England v Germany game25/06/2021 AT 11:48 Lahm captained Germany when they won the World Cup in 2014 and is now working as the German FA’s tournament director for Euro 2024. “I’m not part of the delegation and I’m not keen on flying there as a fan,” he told kicker. “I prefer to follow the tournament from home.

Human rights should play the biggest role in the awarding of a tournament. If a country is awarded the contract that is one of the worst performers in this regard, you start to think about the criteria used to make the decision. Chelsea wait on Aubameyang transfer — Paper Round Bologna say Man Utd target Arnautovic is not for sale “That shouldn’t happen again in the future.

Human rights, sustainability, the size of the country… none of that seems to have played a role.” Lahm also said he hopes German players will speak openly about Qatar’s human rights record at the World Cup. “As a player, you can't get around it anymore.” Germany will be hoping to bounce back in Qatar after losing in the group stage at the 2018 World Cup. They also suffered an early exit at Euro 2020, but seem to have been reinvigorated by the appointment of manager Hansi Flick.