By
Associated Press
BERLIN — A World Cup ambassador to Qatar described homosexuality as "mental damage" in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF just two weeks before the opening of the global soccer tournament in the Gulf state.
Former Qatari national team player Khalid Salman said in an interview that being gay is "haram," an Arabic term for something forbidden, and that he objects to children seeing gay people.
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Excerpts from the interview were published in the ZDF Heute Journal news program on Monday evening.
The full interview, which is part of a documentary, will be broadcast Tuesday night on ZDF.
Some 1.2 million international visitors are expected to travel to Qatar for the month-long tournament.
Since international soccer's governing body FIFA chose the country as host in December 2010, there has been criticism and skepticism over the gas-rich emirate's designation.
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Concerns have long been raised about the treatment of homosexuals living in the conservative emirate, as well as LGBTQ tourists attending the World Cup.
Salman also said in the interview that homosexuality "is spiritual damage."
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“During the World Cup many things will come to the country.
Let's talk about homosexuals," said Salman in English, who appeared with simultaneous translation into German in the television piece.
“The most important thing is that everyone accepts that he comes here.
But they have to accept our standards,” he added.
A press agent for the World Cup organizing committee ended the interview early after Salman expressed his views on homosexuals, ZDF reported.