The first soccer World Cup to be held in the Middle East.
While Qatar, the host country, is showing great excitement for the world's largest sporting event, concerns and protests about human rights and environmental issues have been raised from European countries, casting a shadow over the tournament.
The eve is in a festive mood
The day before the opening of the Qatar World Cup.
The eve of the event was held at a special venue called Fanzone in the capital Doha, and many supporters gathered.
Beer was sold at the venue, fireworks were set off, and the people who gathered celebrated the long-awaited opening of the tournament.
FIFA president refutes voices of criticism such as human rights issues
Press conference held on the same day.
In contrast to the festive mood, FIFA President Infantino raised his voice and spoke as follows.
"I think it's very sad about migrant workers, but Europeans should apologize for what they've done in the world in the last 3,000 years before preaching. Doha and Qatar ready for best tournament ever. It's done, and when the ball starts to move people will focus on that."
It was a form of rebuttal to voices criticizing the venue of the tournament, mainly in European countries, and human rights issues in Qatar.
About 2.9 million people live in Qatar, which is about the same size as Akita Prefecture in Japan.
Seven new stadiums with capacity of 40,000 to 80,000 people have been built to host the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Of these, "Stadium 974" uses shipping containers, which will be dismantled and reused after the tournament, and many of the stadiums have reduced the size of the audience seats to appeal that they are sustainable.
Voices that large amounts of CO2 emissions have an adverse effect on the environment
In addition, as a countermeasure against the heat in Qatar, where the daytime temperature exceeds 30 degrees even in November, the stadium will use air conditioning to provide a comfortable environment for players and spectators.
On the other hand, there are voices that using air conditioning in an unsealed stadium has an adverse effect on the environment, such as emitting a large amount of carbon dioxide.
In France, public viewings were canceled in several cities, including Paris and Lyon, in an effort to show their protest.
A woman from a French TV station who visited the interview said, "Many people in France are saying that this World Cup should be boycotted. I don't know what will happen when the tournament starts, but at this stage environmental issues are more important than sports. 's political topics are getting more attention."
It is also pointed out that many foreign workers died in poor working conditions
In addition, it has been pointed out that many foreign workers died in poor working conditions in the construction of stadiums for the tournament, and teams and athletes participating in the host country protested against human rights issues. movement is spreading.
Among them, the Danish representative said that the uniform had a message about human rights issues.
He kept the logos and emblems in the same color as the uniforms to make them discreet, and one of the uniforms was black.
The company that produced the Danish uniform "wanted to show a protest and provoke the necessary debate on human rights".
Homosexuality banned by law also subject to criticism
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, which has also been criticized.
Several European teams plan to wear captain's badges with 'OneLove' on a rainbow background to protest discrimination.
In Germany, there are strong calls from supporters calling for a boycott of the tournament, and Schalke, the first division league team to which Japan's captain Maya Yoshida belongs, posted on its official Twitter account, "Holding the tournament in Qatar is a historic mistake." Did.
The World Cup will be held for the first time in the Middle East, and environmental and human rights issues are casting a shadow over the world's largest sports festival.