Should German politicians boycott the Qatar World Cup?

Exclusive Bundestag survey shows a split picture

Created: 08/15/2022, 10:16 am

By: Andreas Schmid

Shaking hands with the Qatari Emir: Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Should the head of government travel to the World Cup?

© IMAGO/Bernd Elmenthaler/Bletzinger (montage)

100 days before the World Cup, Germany's politicians are at odds as to whether they should travel to Qatar.

The exclusive survey of almost 100 members of the Bundestag shows completely different perspectives.

Berlin/Doha - "You can only really celebrate big sports festivals if other people don't have to pay for it with their lives." This sentence comes from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and is about six months old.

The Green politician justified her personal boycott of the Winter Olympics in China.

Other government representatives such as Chancellor Olaf Scholz did the same for Baerbock – and stayed away from Beijing.

The next sporting mega-event in a controversial venue is now on the agenda with the World Cup in Qatar.

From November, the ball will start rolling in the stadiums built by exploited guest workers.

Should German politicians avoid the World Cup?

Is a diplomatic boycott appropriate or counterproductive?

from

asked all 736 members of the Bundestag and received answers from 97 politicians.

Boycott Qatar?

According to the Ippen survey, German politics is divided

Many politicians canceled due to the parliamentary summer recess or did not reply at all.

The survey shows: 49 respondents demand that representatives of the federal government should not travel to Qatar.

48 oppose a diplomatic boycott.

Boycott sympathy is greatest in Scholz's SPD, where there were 21 "yes" and nine "no" votes.

Within the traffic light coalition, however, this question is seen in a differentiated manner.

In the FDP there are three boycott advocates, with twelve opposing votes.

The Union seems divided, with ten MPs voting in favor and 13 voting against.

Political World Cup boycott?

“I will not follow the World Cup on the screen either”

There are many reasons for a diplomatic boycott, as well as arguments against it.

SPD politician Martin Diedenhofen is very critical of a political trip to the Qatar World Cup and refers to "numerous reports about the poor human rights situation" in the country.

"All of this is incompatible with the values ​​for which this coalition stands." The AfD politician Jörg Schneider describes the award of the World Cup as "highly dubious and worthy of criticism".

He advocates "every form of protest and boycott" and says: "For my part, I will not follow this World Cup on the screen either."

Several fan organisations, such as the "Boycott Qatar" initiative, are also calling for the televisions to remain off during the games.

The two authors, Bernd Beyer and Dietrich Schulze-Marmeling, support the campaign and jointly declare: “The 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar is a project unworthy of football.

So many rules of sporting and political fairness are violated that it seems irresponsible to us to take part in this event, whether as an active athlete, an official or just as a TV viewer."

Note on the survey

Contact was made at the end of July by email to the offices of the Bundestag politicians.

The answer to the question "Should representatives of the federal government diplomatically boycott the World Cup in Qatar?" was "yes" and "no".

The answer to the question was always anonymous, but individual members of parliament gave reasons for their answer and are therefore quoted after consultation.

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Diplomatic World Cup boycott?

Qatar deal on gas as an argument against

The Munich CSU deputy Wolfgang Stefinger finds it "still a scandal that the World Cup was awarded to Qatar at all".

He too is in favor of a diplomatic boycott.

"However, the federal government is of course in a difficult position: A boycott doesn't seem particularly credible if you recently curtsied the Emir for a gas deal."

Economics Minister Robert Habeck traveled to Doha in the spring and is working (so far without success) on a partnership for liquid gas.

CSU politician Peter Ramsauer describes a boycott as a "hypocritical maneuver", especially with regard to the energy supply: "That would torpedo Robert Habeck's efforts to supply gas to Qatar." FDP board member Alexander Graff Lambsdorff argued similarly: "After the visit of Robert Habeck in Doha, an official diplomatic boycott of Qatar by the federal government would be downright absurd.”

World Cup boycott?

Amnesty is against it

Boycott critics also argue that staying away would only make the situation worse.

The chance to draw attention to grievances would be gone.

"I'm for dialogue instead of a boycott," says the sports policy spokesman for the left, André Hahn.

The non-profit organization Amnesty International agrees.

In a recent statement, she accuses Qatar of going backwards in its willingness to reform, but speaks out against a boycott.

There would have been no reforms without a sharper focus on the emirate.

FDP politician Peter Heidt justifies his boycott veto in a similar way.

According to his group's human rights policy spokesman, Qatar "has initiated reforms in recent years".

He convinced himself of this during a visit to Qatar.

Some reforms would be pushed too slowly.

Germany must therefore actively contribute to improvement and support Qatar.

"A diplomatic boycott would send the wrong signal here." Party friend Renata Alt agrees.

She demands that the federal government "continuously work to improve the human rights situation in Qatar", for example through talks on the sidelines of the World Cup.

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Compromise on the boycott idea: Faeser to Qatar, Scholz & Co. "should not go there"

CSU politician Tobias Winkler advocates an interim solution.

He thinks a complete political boycott is wrong.

Interior and Sport Minister Nancy Faeser was due to travel to Qatar.

The SPD politician has already announced corresponding plans.

"In any case, the Federal Chancellor, the Federal President or a whole team of ministers should not go there," says Winkler.

Chancellor Scholz has so far been silent about his travel plans.

Soon, however, he and his cabinet will have to deal with dealings with Qatar.

The answer to that is not easy.