Status: 11/01/2022 8:35 p.m
Qatar’s anger at Interior Minister Faser was great in the run-up to her visit: she had massively criticized the human rights situation in the emirate. Now the government promised that all World Cup fans would be safe there, said Faeser.
During her visit to the World Cup host country Qatar, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser received a promise to ensure the safety of all football fans arriving. “All people, no matter where they come from, who they love and what they believe in, must be safe at the World Cup: every fan must be able to move freely and without fear,” she said at the end of her visit to the emirate.
“The Prime Minister of Qatar gave me this security guarantee today,” she said. Achieving that during her trip was the most important thing for her as Minister of the Interior. She could also recommend homosexuals with a clear conscience to travel to the World Cup.
Faeser sees “valuable reforms”
Faeser announced that he would travel to the German national team’s first World Cup match against Japan. She decided to continue to accompany the reform process in the country “even during the World Cup,” she said in the ARD-Lunch magazine. It is important to support Qatar in the reforms that have been started.
During her visit, she saw – also in conversations with employee representatives – that “valuable reforms were being launched, especially for migrant workers,” says Faeser.
At the same time, the SPD politician pointed to ongoing problems in the Gulf state. “We will continue to support reforms in Qatar after the World Cup so that the reality of life for migrant workers and the human rights situation continue to improve.”
Doha summoned ambassadors
According to Qatari sources, during the visit, Faeser expressed regret over her critical remarks, which caused diplomatic turmoil before the visit. This was reported by the Qatari state news agency QNA. Faeser emphasized that Qatar’s preparations and reforms regarding the foreign workforce “are praised and appreciated”.
Before the start of Faeser’s visit, the Qatari government had complained because the German sports minister had decided not to award the World Cup to Qatar ARD magazine monitor publicly criticized. According to the Foreign Ministry in Doha, Qatar summoned the German ambassador on Friday. In a joint statement on Saturday, the Gulf monarchies dismissed Faeser’s comments as “interference in Qatar’s internal affairs”.
DFB: Human rights as a criterion
According to the ministry, the focus of the two-day trip was on human rights issues – such as the protection of queer people from discrimination and the responsibility for migrant workers who built the World Cup stadiums. Homosexuality is a criminal offense in Qatar. On November 20, the final round of the soccer World Cup begins there, in which the German team also takes part
During her trip, the Minister of the Interior was accompanied by a delegation from the German Football Association (DFB) headed by its President Bernd Neuendorf. From his point of view, however, there will no longer be an award of the World Cup like after Qatar. “We will no longer see a World Cup awarded without taking human rights and sustainability into account,” he said ZDF. Criteria such as human rights must be discussed more in advance in the future, also in order to “gain social acceptance for the allocation of such tournaments”.