10 Days Towards 2022 World Cup: French Government Denies Boycott, Show This Fact As Evidence
JAKARTA - The news that France will boycott the 2022 World Cup Qatar seems to be just a figment. Evidently, ten thousand fans from France have registered to watch the 2022 World Cup
This was conveyed by the French ambassador to Qatar, Jean-Baptiste Faivre. He also said as many as 300 French police officers would assist Qatar in securing the World Cup, which runs from November 20 to December 18.
Recently, Qatar has been in the spotlight for its human rights record ahead of the tournament's kickoff. Reports emerged that Paris and a number of other cities in France said they would not hold concerts together in front of giant screens as they usually do during major sporting tournaments.
Former France international Eric Cantona has become one of the figures in Europe calling for a World Cup boycott of Qatar's treatment of foreign workers and women's and LGBTQ rights.
Faivre told the Al-Kass sports channel the boycott calls do not reflect the attitude of the French government. "France will not boycott the World Cup," he said, as quoted by AFP via Antara, Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
According to Faivre, the World Cup matches will not be held on giant screens to watch together because the cities in France are currently shrouded in cold temperatures. In addition, the high cost of establishing a place to watch together or a fan zone is also a reason.
He said there are other assumptions about Qatar that have been formed in France and this needs to be straightened out.
"Of course, Qatar is known as an economic partner and it is true that investment and contracts are synonymous with employment and growth in France, but the relationship between Qatar and France is much more than that," he said.
FIFA said France was one of the top 10 markets for 3.1 million tickets.
The ambassador said 10,000 French had signed up for the Hayya fan pass required to enter Qatar.
More than a million people are expected to visit Qatar during the tournament.
France was one of 15 countries that helped Qatar secure the World Cup. Turkey, Pakistan, and Morocco also sent thousands of police to help Qatari troops.