November 7 – Qatar’s foreign minister has accused Germany of “double standards” over its criticism of the World Cup host’s human rights record and even suggested Europe was being racist.
Last month, Qatar’s foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador over German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s comments that a country’s human rights record should be factored into whether they are selected as World Cup host.
“On the one side, the German population is misinformed by government politicians; on the other, the government has no problem with us when it comes to energy partnerships or investments,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani (pictured) told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. “We are annoyed by the double standards,”
Qatar has faced constant criticism ever since being awarded the World Cup 12 years ago and Sheikh Mohammed added: “It is ironic when this tone is struck in countries in Europe that call themselves liberal democracies. It sounds very arrogant, frankly, and very racist.”
In further comments, this time to Sky, Sheikh Mohammed added: “Preaching from a distance is not a solution.”
“What about their own problems within their countries, which they are turning a blind eye? Honestly…. there’s a lot of people from around the world who are just seeing this as a sense of arrogance.
“A sense of people who cannot accept a small country from the Middle East has won the bid to host the World Cup.”
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