The French capital of Paris joins other French cities in refusing to watch the tournament on television. Concerns over rights breaches of migrant workers and the ecological consequences of the tournament in Qatar have apparently led to Paris’ decision to not show World Cup matches on huge screens in public fan zones.
Paris joins the broadcast boycott
Even though France is the defending champion, the city follows the lead of other French cities that have made similar decisions. Several other European organizations are considering similar actions.
Pierre Rabadan, the Parisian city’s deputy mayor in charge of sports, said to reporters in France’s capital that the decision to not air games publicly was made owing to the social and environmental impacts associated with hosting this year’s WorldCup22.
He questioned the necessity of air conditioning in stadiums and the quality of construction used in a talk with France Blue Paris.
Rabadan insisted that France would not be skipping the tournament because of Qatar, but she did clarify that the country’s approach to hosting large events is at odds with what Paris (2024’s Olympic host) hopes to achieve.
The decision was made despite the fact that Qatar Sports Investments owns the city’s football club, Paris Saint-Germain. Rabadan stated that while having very positive relationships with the club and its entourage, they are still able to voice their disagreements openly.
Everyone else follows suit
Denmark is participating in the protest by offering black World Cup jerseys to its team in memory of the migrant workers who lost their lives preparing for the event. Some European soccer associations have proposed that captains wear rainbow heart armbands during World Cup games to protest bigotry.
In protest of Qatar’s human rights record, more and more French cities are opting not to construct screens to show World Cup matches. They didn’t mention whether they’d do the same for any World Cup 2022 livestream operations.
The mayor of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, banned public screenings of the World Cup due to concerns over human rights abuses and the mistreatment of Qatar’s migrant workers.
Strasbourg’s mayor, Jeanne Barseghian, has stated that the city cannot dismiss the numerous reports of migrant workers being exploited and abused that they have received from NGOs. Furthermore, she emphasized that people must not tolerate such violations of human rights.
Then there’s the ecological disaster that would be caused by a soccer tournament in the middle of the desert, as she put it, despite the fact that climate change is an undeniable fact, what with droughts and wildfires, and other disasters.
Lille’s deputy mayor, Arnaud Deslandes, said the city’s decision to cancel public viewings of matches was intended as a message to FIFA about the permanent damage the Qatar tournament will have to the environment.
Deslandes continued by saying that they intend to prove to FIFA that financial success is not everything. He went on to say that he had not met a single person in Lille who was dissatisfied with the city’s choice.
The snowballing impacts
The gas-rich emirate has come under fire for its handling of migrant workers over the past decade. These laborers, largely from south Asia, were essential in the construction of stadiums, metro lines, highways, and hotels costing tens of billions of dollars.
Qatar has been just as vehement in its denial of allegations of human rights abuses, including claims that the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who constructed World Cup facilities and megastructures have been compromised.
In addition to expressing care for the environment, Qatar has pledged to mitigate some of the negative effects of the World Cup on the planet by, for example, developing new greenery irrigated with reclaimed water and constructing alternative energy projects.
Because the energy that France has stored for winter will be used for outdoor viewing of the event from November 21st to December 18th, environmental groups across the country have urged the suspension of public broadcasting in fan zones. The entire World Cup 2022 fixtures Singapore time is already available for viewing should you wish to learn more.
Authorities in Bordeaux, a city in southwest France, cited the high expense of airing public broadcasts outside during the colder months as the main reason for the ban. It would appear that those who’d be missing the national broadcast have a better shot at catching the tournament via a World Cup 2022 free livestream.
In light of rising tensions with supplier Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, the French government has called for a drastic 10% decrease in the country’s energy use to prevent the possibility of rationing cutbacks this winter.