On Monday, the Qatari ambassador to Germany faced a demand to abolish the death penalty in his country for homosexuality, during a human rights conference hosted by the German Football Association, which was held two months before the Gulf emirate hosts the World Cup.
In English, a representative of the MEN+ community, Dario Minden, spoke directly to the Qatari ambassador, Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, at the conference in Frankfurt.
Minden said: “I’m a man and I like men, please don’t be shocked, I have sex with other men, that’s normal. So please get used to it, or stay away from football.”
He added that “the most important rule in football is that it is for everyone, and it does not matter if you are gay, it is for everyone, for boys, for girls, and for everyone in between.”
“So abolish the death penalty, abolish all penalties related to sexual and gender identity, the rule that football for everyone is very important. We cannot allow you to break it, no matter how rich you are. You are very welcome to join the international football community and also, of course, To host a big tournament. But in sports, that’s how it is, you have to accept the rules.”
The Qatari ambassador was to be given an opportunity to respond at a later time, although his comments would have remained unpublishable, according to the Associated Press, as only 90 minutes of the opening of the union conference were broadcast to the public, and no journalists were invited to the event.
Federation spokesman Stephen Simon said it was not the organization’s decision to keep the majority of members off-camera, but “we received a clear request from some participants that they wished to discuss these matters internally with us. They did not want to discuss in public. We respected that.”
In the past decade, Qatar’s laws and society have come under increased scrutiny.
Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah al-Ansari, a prominent commander overseeing security for the World Cup, told The Associated Press that rainbow flags “can be taken from fans at the World Cup in Qatar to protect them from being attacked for promoting gay rights.”
Al-Ansari insisted that “gay couples will continue to be welcome and accepted in Qatar to participate in the World Cup,” despite the continued criminalization of same-sex relations in the conservative Gulf state.
Before Minden spoke on Monday, the Qatari ambassador complained to the federation that the human rights issue was distracting attention from the tournament.
“We all care about human rights, but I would have enjoyed more if I saw some focus on not just one topic, but the enjoyment of football and the impact of football on people all over the world,” he said.
The Qatari ambassador referred to the recent World Cup in Russia, its invasion and takeover of Crimea by Russian forces in Ukraine, and human rights violations in that country, “and there was no focus, neither from Germany, nor from any country in Europe.”
Al-Thani said Qatar had abolished the controversial sponsorship system that required migrant workers to have a sponsor, a system that left many workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, and that the state had introduced a minimum labor wage and a compensation fund for workers to file complaints of rights abuses.
“Yes, we’re not perfect, we don’t pretend to be perfect, but it’s a journey we’re going to write,” he added.
The Qatari ambassador called on football fans to go themselves “to enjoy football, see different cultures” and meet the migrant workers once they get there.
“You’ll see them (workers) in hotels, you’ll see them on public transport,” he said, then referred to Bayern Munich’s long-term sponsorship deal with Qatar.
“Bayern Munich have spent the last four or five years coming to a winter camp in Doha, why don’t they talk? Why don’t they say they went to Doha? (If) they think it’s awful, say it publicly, or just shut up, because you know, you have the ability,” he said. Being there, you have the ability to meet people and talk to them, if you think something is wrong, say it, don’t hide it.”
The president of the German Football Association, Bernd Neuendorf, called on the Qatari government to establish work centers “without any condition or reservations”, where migrants can go to in the event of a violation of their rights by the employer, and a compensation fund for workers who died or were injured at the World Cup construction sites, noting. That the request is directed to FIFA as well.