German fan group demands minimum standards for Qatar World Cup

The German fan organisation Unsere Kurve (Our Curve) has demanded the German football federation (DFB) and the ruling body FIFA draw up catalogue of criteria on minimum standards in the debate about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

These standards should be met until Aug. 31, 2022 by the host country and be the basis for decision on the tournament participation or a boycott, the fan grouping said on Tuesday.

“We disapprove the World Cup because of the evidence of corruption in the awarding process, the climate situation and the associated rescheduling of the tournament to European winter, as well as massive human rights violations.

“Nevertheless, we are convinced that in the current situation it’s important to get the best out of the bad situation for the local people,” the fan organisation wrote in a statement.

The pressure on FIFA and Qatar must be increased so “words will finally be followed by actions. Qatar should demonstrate substantial and verifiable improvements, the fan organisation demanded.”

Among the criteria mentioned by the group are the hiring of independent observers to monitor conditions for workers and the guarantee of freedom for the press.

The World Cup was due to start in November 2022.

Most recently, the German national team players, like their colleagues from Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, have staged protests at the World Cup qualifying matches to demand respect for human rights and thus also criticised the conditions in Qatar.

FIFA had so far accepted the political statements, which were forbidden under its regulations, without threatening sanctions, knowing that punishments would further inflame the issue and only damage the World Cup product even more.