German football director slams Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws ahead of World Cup
German football director Oliver Bierhoff has slammed Qatar over its treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. In November, football teams from around the world are set to compete in the highly-anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup – which is set to take place in the Gulf region.
In Qatar, homosexuality is illegal and can be punished by penalties including flogging, imprisonment and even execution. Since the news was announced, activists and footballers have expressed concerns over the tournament’s location due to the country’s aforementioned anti-LGBTQ laws.
Back in November, openly gay footballer Josh Cavallo revealed that he was “scared” to play in the World Cup during an interview on The Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast. “I read something along the lines of that [they] give the death penalty for gay people in Qatar, so it’s something I’m very scared [of] and wouldn’t really want to go to Qatar for that,” he said.
With the event nearly four months away, another football professional has called out Qatar for its anti-LGBTQ+ laws. On 12 June, the national team director of the German Football Federation, Oliver Bierhoff, described the country’s treatment of queer people as “completely unacceptable.” “It in no way corresponds to my views,” he told German Media group Funke, as reported by Goal.
