World Cup expert Almuth Schult: “I’m very glad not to be in Qatar”

National goalkeeper Almuth Schult looks at the World Cup with very mixed feelings. As an ARD expert, she wants to openly address criticism of Qatar. She expects the same from the DFB team.

tagesschau.de: There may not be much enthusiasm for the football World Cup in Qatar. How is it by you? Are you in a World Cup mood?

Almuth Schult: Difficult. I am very conflicted. Of course, I’ve been involved with the tournament for a long time because I’m preparing for my job as an ARD expert. But even the time of year is atypical for a World Cup – and the political conditions in the host country Qatar make things even more difficult. After the anti-gay statements made by the World Cup ambassador, one can only shake one’s head. Others say what we feared is now coming true – in relation to human rights, women’s rights, dealing with homosexuals. But maybe the mood for the World Cup will come up during the course of the tournament.

tagesschau.de: Despite all the criticism of the World Cup, is there anything positive about the tournament from your point of view?

Schult: I think differentiated thinking is good at this point. It’s also exciting to host a World Cup in the Arab world for the first time. Maybe something will change in Qatar as a result of the tournament. In the aftermath of the World Cup, however, I hope that in the future people will think about who will be awarded the contract for such a major sporting event.

tagesschau.de: There were calls for a boycott of the tournament until shortly before the start of the World Cup. How do you feel about this?

Schult: If all the athletes had gotten together and boycotted the World Cup, that would of course have been a sign. And we also saw with Corona that it is possible to catch up on a tournament, possibly in another country. But is it fair to demand this from the athletes? Playing at a World Cup is a unique opportunity for many. They may have been called up for the national team for the first time, they are injury-free right now and are at their peak. From an athlete’s point of view, that’s the greatest thing you can achieve. Boycotting that is difficult. Especially since they can’t help it that this World Cup will be held in Qatar. As far as the viewers are concerned, everyone has to decide for themselves whether to watch the World Cup games.

“Not a good feeling”

tagesschau.de: The openly anti-gay statements by the Qatari World Cup ambassador have caused outrage and once again put the spotlight on the difficult World Cup host. What consequences do you draw from this for your Work as a World Cup expert for ARD?

Schult: At first I was hoping to be in Qatar myself. But now I’m also quite glad not to be there. As a woman, I simply have fewer rights there. And if I behave “wrongly” I can be punished. That’s not a good feeling. Even if they say everyone is safe there. I’m not part of the LGBTIQ scene, but I’m completely insecure. Khalid Salman’s statements are incredible and I don’t know what will happen in the next eight weeks.

tagesschau.de: To what extent do you want to incorporate the criticism of Qatar into your work as a World Cup expert?

Schult: I did a lot of research beforehand and am trying to form a differentiated opinion. It’s also my job to give viewers information that they may not have had before. At least that’s my claim. I would like to offer a guide in the whole jumble of statements and reports. And don’t ignore the criticism.

“We have a lot of players with opinion”

tagesschau.de: The World Cup in Qatar also shows that sport and politics cannot be separated. How do players deal with a situation like that in Qatar?

Schult: That depends on the character of the player. There are certainly many who just want to play football. They don’t want to question this World Cup, also because it’s not in their power. Others are more political, want to share their opinion and maybe also be a role model for others. They may also draw strength from this discussion because they believe they can change something. Without the World Cup there would probably be no critical debate about human rights in Qatar at the moment.

tagesschau.de: The national team always has a social responsibility. At the same time, the players should have a clear head in order to play football successfully. What would be an appropriate attitude?

Schult: It also depends on the local conditions. It would be nice if the team also came into contact with the population, like when they go to school in Brazil. I also really hope that it will be possible to send a message. We have many players with opinions – be it Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka or Manuel Neuer. They take a stand in public.

The associations also have to exert pressure. Qatar had promised a sustainable World Cup – will that be kept? It’s not the case that Qatar is the first major sporting event to take place in a country with a problematic human rights situation – it was critical in Beijing, in Rio favelas had to give way to the Olympic village and in Russia not everything was good at the 2018 World Cup either. So we’ve been having this discussion for a long time. The overarching question is whether it is really the right way to hold major sporting events in problematic countries.

“Indications of Corruption”

tagesschau.de: FIFA recently appealed that the focus should now be on football and not on political debates. Do you agree?

Schult: No not at all. FIFA has put itself in the spotlight because it awarded the World Cup to Qatar. Now FIFA has to stand by it and deal with the criticism. Especially since there are also many indications that corruption was involved. I hope that something changes in FIFA in this regard.

tagesschau.de: And now to the sport: Will Germany become world champion?

Schult: The opportunity is definitely there. Hansi Flick has put together a very good squad, a mix of experienced and young players. And there were surprises again with the nomination. I hope that Flick can form a team that sees itself as a team. Because in the end that is what matters: that the team works. Then something can come of it.

More background information, reports and talks on the controversial World Cup in Qatar will be broadcast on the first evening from 8:15 p.m.