The last “Letter to the Blues” published by Amnesty International France brought the FFF out of its silence on the NGO’s criticism of its consideration of “human rights in Qatar”, host of the next World Cup (November 20-December 18). In a statement sent to The team East On Friday night, the FFF responded to Amnesty, which announced that “will support[it] » Denmark, Sunday night, during the Nations League match between Didier Deschamps’ team and Kasper Hjulmand’s team in Copenhagen (8:45 pm).
in your news “Letter to the Blues”Amnesty, which did not call for a boycott of the tournament, denounced the “the deafening silence of his team in the face of the thousands of migrant workers who died on construction sites in Qatar and the thousands of others subjected to forced labor”adding: “For us, the Danish team is the great favorite to win the commitment challenge”.
In particular, the Danes have planned to wear training clothes with human rights messages in Qatar. The Danish Federation for its part demanded from FIFA, in the spring of 2021, an independent investigation into the fate of migrant workers in the emirate.
“Participating does not mean turning a blind eye and endorsing”
The FFF, about Qatar and the World Cup
“Amnesty is an admirable organization that we respectexplains the FFF to The team. Of course it is free to support Denmark and not France. However, the FFF deplores this campaign of stigmatization. The FFF and the French team are free to express themselves or not. They did not wait for the next World Cup in Qatar to defend human rights on a daily basis, on the ground and at their level, as well as other essential causes. »
While Noël Le Graët (80 years old), president of the authority, remained on the sidelines of the controversies on the subject, declaring in particular “very happy that we come to play in Qatar”the FFF specifies that “participating does not mean turning a blind eye and endorsing”. Considering that ” However, the organization of this World Cup has allowed a social progress in Qatar that even certain NGOs recognize, including Amnesty International. »
“Although the reality on the ground is not perfect, this progress is undeniable and positive, continue the case. The FFF is, and will continue to be, very attentive to the respect of human rights in Qatar. She just made the decision to act firmly but calmly and respectfully on the ground rather than make an image campaign of it. Thus, it has implemented various verification measures on the respect of social rights and the application of respectful working conditions in the base camp of the French team. »