He smiles as he sits across from ZDF reporter Jochen Breyer. You are seated on a busy street in Doha. “Let’s talk about gays, for example,” says Khalid Salman. What he then explains in his role as one of the official ambassadors of the World Cup organizing committee once again confirms the criticism of numerous fan and human rights organizations ahead of the World Cup, which begins on November 20 in the Persian Gulf.
Being gay is “haram”, forbidden, says Salman, because it is a “damage in the mind”, mental damage. At this moment of the ZDF documentary “Geheimsache Qatar”, a spokesman breaks off the conversation.
The aggressiveness of Salman’s most recent statements is more surprising than their content. No surprise for Jürgen Mittag. The professor of sports policy from the German Sport University in Cologne classifies the recent gaffes by those responsible for the World Cup against WELT. Qatar has long hoped that criticism from the West “will wear off as the tournament approaches”. But the opposite is the case. “At the moment we are in a phase of excessive criticism, which unsettles those responsible,” says Mittag. “This explains the certain thin-skinned attitude and the demands from the Qatari side not to criticize this World Cup.”
While the Qatari organizers are quite open to criticism on issues such as the rights of employees in the World Cup country, there are other areas in which the willingness to discuss is significantly less. “For example, with gender issues and sexuality. This is an area in which the alarm lights go off very quickly in Qatar, ”said the sports policy expert. “Those responsible do not let reason prevail, but rather react emotionally from their own value horizon.” This leads to statements like those of Khalid Salman, whose words “lack any diplomacy and restraint”.
The statements “about gays are disturbing and yet not a surprise,” emphasized Alfonso Pantisano from the federal board of the Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD). “If the organizing committee (…) apparently wants to welcome queer fans and then a World Cup ambassador makes such a disturbing comment, it proves the regime’s threat to queer people.” The association expects a travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office and sends it to all fans the message: “Boycott this World Cup!”
Salman, 60 years old and ex-national player, is described on the Organizing Committee’s official website as a “star” of the 1981 World Youth Championship. A hat-trick against Brazil in the quarterfinals. “I have represented Qatar for many years and it is a proud moment for me to become an ambassador,” Salman was quoted as saying. “I’m delighted to be a part of what promises to be the biggest moment.”
According to the law, homosexuality in Qatar is illegal and punishable by up to seven years in prison. Officially, the World Cup organizer – supported by Fifa President Gianni Infantino – assures that everyone is welcome. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she brought a “security guarantee” from the Prime Minister that all fans could “move freely and without fear” during the tournament from November 20 to December 18.
The discussions about the freedom of the LGBTQI community during the tournament, which is supposed to connect the basic idea, have been accompanying the World Cup run-up for months. The English abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans people, intersex and queer people. The asterisk is a placeholder for additional identities and genders. Salman speaks English in the ZDF documentary and uses the word “gay”, which is also translated as “homosexual”. From the context it is clear that he means men.
The situation has also long concerned the German national team, which has been criticized for packing a multicolored one with the words “One Love” instead of the symbolic rainbow captain’s armband. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf accompanied Faeser on their trip to Doha last week. The leadership of the association tries to hit the right note, but has to move within diplomatic boundaries.
Christian Rudolph from the “Competence and contact point for sexual and gender diversity” in football set up by the DFB and the LSVD in 2021″ has recently become much clearer. “That’s exactly what we didn’t want,” said Rudolph in an interview with the “Frankfurter Rundschau” about the Faeser statements on security guarantees. “We have previously stated in all relevant rounds of talks that the dialogue at this point in time shortly before the World Cup is no longer of any use (…). If it is now said that the World Cup is safe for queer people, that is a fatal sign for the queer community in Qatar. Which Qatar did Nancy Faeser see please? Then she can be guided through North Korea right away.”
Despite all the justified criticism of the human rights situation in the World Cup country, sports policy professor Mittag nevertheless urges a more balanced assessment of things: “In my opinion, the debate lacks differentiation. There’s a lot of black and white thinking when it comes to the Qatar World Cup. In some cases, opinions are taken into account rather than facts. The tournament in Qatar is more likely to be scandalized from a values-related perspective than there is a sufficient political confrontation with the hosts.”
Salman says in the ZDF documentary: “The most important thing is that everyone will accept that they come here, but they will have to accept our rules.” Above all, he has problems when children see gays. Because they would then learn something that is not good. In the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Monday), Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani recently described the criticism of Qatar, mainly from Europe, as “very arrogant and very racist”. At the same time, he referred to reforms in his country that would continue after the World Cup.
At the World Cup in Qatar, paid fans should ensure a good atmosphere on social media and at the opening ceremony. Pocket money as well as flight and accommodation should be covered by the organizing committee.
Source: SID
