Should we boycott the matches of the next World Cup in Qatar? Several municipalities are taking a position and already announcing that they will not rebroadcast the meetings. Beyond the ethical aspect, the price of energy also plays a role this year.
In just over two months, the World Cup will begin in Qatar. This will be held from November 20 to December 18. More and more municipalities are gradually canceling giant screens. After Braine-le-Comte and Soignies, it is now the turn of Roeulx, La Louvière, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Wavre or even Silly and Tubize to announce a cancellation. Nor will there be a giant screen in Waterloo. Nor is Namur planning to install a giant screen itself. But if a private operator were to approach the municipality, the latter indicates that it would then take a decision. Other municipalities could follow like Tournai and many others.
Among the reasons given to justify this cancellation, the municipalities point in particular to the ethical aspect and the non-respect of human rights in Qatar. “Organizing the World Cup in Qatar very clearly violates our values. It is total ineptitude to be an accomplice of such an organization”deplores Jacques Gobert, mayor of La Louvière. “What posed us problem, adds Fabienne Winckel, mayor of Soignies. Cthat’s what happened there for the organization. And then, it was here too all these infrasctrucutres while we live all the same moments which are complicated from an energy point of view, and other. So we said to ourselves that it was not at all what we want to support as a sporting value. But no one is prevented from doing it privately: clubs wishing to make giant screens or cafeterias can do so. But we wanted to show our disapproval of this event.”
The ecological aspect is, in fact, also greatly taken into account. The competition taking place in November and December, it would be necessary to heat tents or rooms when we are asked to make efforts in these times of energy crisis. “The season is not ideal, it generates additional costs: tents, heating, the heating system, etc. That’s why, from the outset, we made this decision”continues Fabienne Winckel.
From an economic point of view, it should also be added that the finances of the municipalities have been damaged following the health crisis. And that organizing such an event indoors is quite expensive, between 25,000 and 50,000 euros.
The events sector again damaged
But all this obviously does not suit giant screen rental companies. This is the case of Xavier Renaud, CEO of the company XC-Com, who initially had to install a giant screen in La Louvière. “I had a meeting last Monday to finalize the practical aspect a little bit and on Wednesday, I learned from the manager that the city wanted to dissociate itself from the event. There is certainly a shortfall, I imagine 25 to 30,000 euros”he regrets.
For these companies, a World Cup is a very important moment. “We currently have 6-7 events signed and another 4-5 in negotiation for the World Cup”, continues Xavier Renaud. Except he’s worried about chain cancellations. “I know that we had confirmation from the municipality of Silly which validated the budget and the event for us. Now, will they backtrack? That, I can’t tell you.” An hour after our interview, Xavier finally received a letter from the municipality canceling the giant screen planned at the sports center. This is an additional blow for the events sector, which is struggling to recover from the health crisis.
No specific rules
Just on the day of last Friday, 5 municipalities decided to cancel their giant screen. But there are no rules regarding the organization of this event and the maintenance or not of giant screens. Each municipality is, in fact, free to do as it sees fit. “In general, at the Union of Towns and Municipalities of Wallonia, we are very attached to municipal autonomy. That is to say that each mayor does in quotation marks what he pleases or what he Above all, here, we are linked to ethical matters for which it is really everyone’s responsibility according to their values to make decisions. There is no watchword, but on the other hand, it is clear that we will support anyone who wishes to make this kind of decision”assures Maxime Daye, president of the Union of Cities and Municipalities.
Some football fans have nevertheless admitted to being disappointed that their municipality is canceling the giant screen. “They say it’s to save energy, and so on. But energy is wasted otherwise. The World Cup still brings a lot of people for cafeterias, so businesses will also suffer.”slips a resident of La Louvière.
