Qatar World Cup ambassador qualifies homosexuality as "mental damage"

The Qatar World Cup ambassador and former Qatari international soccer player

described homosexuality as "mental damage" in an interview with the second channel of German Public Television (ZDF) which, when the subject had begun to be addressed, was interrupted by representatives of the organizing committee.

"During the World Cup a lot will happen in the country. Let's talk about homosexuals. Everyone will accept that they come. But they will have to submit to our rules," Salman said.

Salman said that he had problems above all when children saw homosexuals because, he said, homosexuality is something "haram" (forbidden by religion in Arabic) and children can learn something that is not good.

"Homosexuality is mental damage," he said, and then the interview was interrupted by the spokesman for the organizing committee.

The interview is part of a ZDF documentary entitled "Qatar. Confidential Affair".

Call for a boycott

In the face of the World Cup, criticism of Qatar has increased due to the human rights situation, the discrimination against women and homosexuals and the exploitation of foreign workers.

Over the weekend, banners were seen from spectators calling for a boycott of the 2022 Qatar World Cup in various Bundesliga stadiums.

The Qatari Foreign Minister,

, has described European criticism of his country as "arrogant and racist" in statements to the "Frankfurter Allgemeine" newspaper.

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