World Cup in Qatar: no giant screens in Marseille, the population divided

Stéphane Burgatt (correspondent in Marseille), edited by Romain Rouillard with AFP 8:19 p.m., October 3, 2022

Bordeaux, Nancy, Strasbourg, Lille, Rodez, and now Marseille.

Like other municipalities before it, the Marseille city has decided not to install giant screens in the city on the occasion of the Football World Cup which will take place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.

Despite the love that the city of Marseille has for football, the town hall will not schedule any festivities that could promote this controversial World Cup.

"We love OM, we obviously love the ball, but not at any price. Gradually, this World Cup has turned into a human and environmental disaster. We are calling on citizens to be energy sober and in a few weeks , we are going to have open stadiums where we will have full-tube air conditioning, so we do not find ourselves there”, affirms Sébastien Jibrayel, sports assistant at the town hall of Marseille.

"Marseille is a football city"

A decision that is debated within the Marseille population.

"Unfortunately, it would be a shame to be deprived of these beautiful matches because there are so many football fans. But in a way, it is better to deprive ourselves than to watch images that can make our hearts ache. Me , I am human and I am thinking of all these workers who have died", estimates this Marseillais, near the bowling alley of Bonneveine. 

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An opinion that Jean-Claude absolutely does not share, who does not understand this boycott.

"Marseille is a city of football. The symbol is very strong, I have no doubt about it, but we are all waiting for it (this World Cup), no, it's important (...) and it 'is every four years, we must not forget".

Others prefer to put the absence of giant outdoor screens into perspective since between November and December, even in Marseille, the evenings can be very cool.

These other cities that will ignore giant screens

The city of

, for example, pointed out in a press release the "shift" of "the use of air-conditioned stadiums during this World Cup (...) with the challenges of ecological transition" and called "the organizers (.. .) to "seriously review the rules for awarding the next World Cups" in order to "integrate these issues" of "sobriety" and "respect for human rights".

In

, the environmental mayor Pierre Hurmic has made similar arrangements.

"I would really have the impression, if Bordeaux hosted these fan zones, of being an accomplice" of "this sporting event which represents all humanitarian, ecological and sporting aberrations", he justified.

For his part, Arnaud Robinet, the mayor (Horizons) of

spoke of the "misunderstanding" that these giant screens would cause "at a time when the public authorities are asking to reduce energy consumption".

In

,

or

, giant screens will also be banned.