Jan Busse has published a book that not only sheds light on the Qatar World Cup, but also on football in the Middle East and North Africa. The political scientist talks about the rulers’ abuse of power, FC Bayern’s training camp in Doha – and why women wear beards in the stadium.
Interviewed by
Gerhard Fischer
Qatar is getting closer. In November, the football World Cup begins, which divides like never before, because Qatar treats women and homosexuals badly; because there were many deaths among the workers who built the World Cup stadiums; or because Qatar has no football tradition. Jan Busse, his co-editor Rene Wildangel and other authors have dealt with Qatar in the book “The Rebellious Game”, that’s for sure. But they have also compiled football stories from other Gulf countries, the Middle East and North Africa. They ask: Who exploits football? And what power does this game unfold as a subversive counterculture? Busse, 39, is a political scientist and works at the Bundeswehr University in Munich. His focus: social and political dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa. Busse lives with his family in the southern district of Munich.