The French human rights activist and head of the (Rights and Justice Without Borders) Francois Duroch said that the high viewership rates achieved by the Qatar World Cup 2022 in France are “like a slap to the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.”
Dorosh told the evening program, Thursday, on Al-Jazeera Mubasher, that French advertisers are happy with the numbers achieved by the World Cup matches on the (TF1) channel.
And the International Football Association (FIFA) announced that the channel had the largest viewership in the year, which is 12.53 million people and a share of viewers of 48.1%, during the French national team’s match with Australia, in which it scored four to one goal.
Dorosh commented on the decision of the Mayor of Paris not to set up areas for fans during the 2022 Qatar World Cup matches under the pretext of "violating workers' rights," saying that the world of politicians in France is divorced from truth and reality.
Al-Huqawi denounced the evening for preventing the French from following the World Cup matches in the common fan areas, and said, "What right does the French mayor do that while the country's national team went to defend its title?"
Dorosh went on to say that “French politicians must open their eyes after this blow, because the French response will be harsh after this fabricated campaign.”
And the local authorities in Paris announced, last October, that they would not allocate public places for fans to watch the activities of the World Cup, under the pretext of “protesting the human rights situation in the country hosting the sporting event.”
The viewership of the opening World Cup match between the Qatari and Ecuadorian national teams in France reached 5.25 million viewers, 30% higher than the opening match of the 2018 edition (3.83 million viewers).
Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the non-politicization of sports, considering that such behavior was a "very bad idea."
Macron, who had previously announced that he would go to Qatar if France reached the semi-finals, said that "politicizing sports is a very bad idea," recalling that his country will host the Olympic Games in 2024.