According to SPIEGEL information, the German Football Association (DFB) is negotiating a cooperation with Qatar Airways. Talks have been going on since the beginning of the year, the deal with the state airline of the host of the 2022 World Cup would bring the association significantly more money than before. So far, Lufthansa was the partner of the DFB. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported first.
The hosting of the World Cup in Qatar has come under heavy criticism due to the human rights situation in the country. According to research by the British newspaper »Guardian«, around 6,500 guest workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died on World Cup construction sites since the tournament was awarded more than ten years ago in the Persian Gulf.
National players like the recently resigned Toni Kroos had openly addressed the lack of workers’ rights and discrimination against homosexuals in the emirate. Before their World Cup qualifier against Iceland in March, the national team positioned itself with the slogan »Human Rights«. The shirts with the eleven letters painted on them were then auctioned off for the benefit of the homeless.
With the lettering, the DFB and national team wanted to draw attention to the United Nations’ general declaration on human rights. This was interpreted as an explicit sign in the direction of Qatar. Qatar Airways sponsors, among others, the European Football Union (Uefa), the world association Fifa, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, which is owned by the state-owned Qatar Sports Investments.
