Majority Of Germans In Favor Of Boycotting FIFA World Cup In Qatar - Poll

Muhammad Rameez Published March 26, 2021 | 01:10 AM

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th March, 2021) An overwhelming majority of Germans voted in favor of boycotting the FIFA World Cup 2022 following the kick-off of the first qualifiers amid ongoing concerns for the safety of migrant workers on construction sites in Qatar, a poll conducted by Germany's Spiegel news magazine showed.

Out of 5000 respondents, an overwhelming 83 percent said they disagreed with the decision to let Qatar host the World Cup (72 percent "strongly disagreed" and 11 percent "somewhat disagreed), 11 percent were unsure and only 4 percent answered positively.

Over two thirds of respondents, 68 percent, also voted in favor of German Football Association (DFB) boycotting the World Cup, while 21 percent still believed that the German national team should participate in the games.

According to the poll, only 25 percent of Germans plan to watch the broadcasts of the games, as 65 percent responded that they "likely" (22 percent) or "surely" (43 percent) will not do so.

Another 80 percent of respondents have urged the DFB to take a tougher stance on the human rights violations in Qatar.

However, most Germans (88 percent) negatively answered the question whether they think the World Cup will help with the situation in the country.

On Wednesday, Norway footballers wore white shirts during the first World Cup qualifying game with Gibraltar as a sign of support for human rights. Earlier in March, 16 out of 18 Norwegian football clubs agreed to hold a special meeting dedicated to discussion of a possible boycott of the World Cup. Additionally, six clubs demanded the government and the national football association boycott the World Cup qualifiers.

The World Cup 2022 in Qatar has been shrouded by controversy since the beginning. The intentional community has consistently raised concerns over alleged human rights violations in the country's construction sites. Amnesty International reported multiple instances of abuse and exploitation among Qatar's 1.7 million migrant workforce, citing appalling living conditions, under-payment, slave-like labor regulations and poor safety.