Norwegian football actors do not want a boycott of next year’s World Cup in Qatar. The position became clear when the question was finally clarified at Sunday’s extraordinary congress.
The vote ended 368-121 in favor of not supporting the boycott. The board of the Norwegian Football Association was thus persuaded that a boycott is not the way to go. The pressure on Qatar will instead take place through dialogue and demands for improvements.
The Norwegian debate about next year’s controversial men’s championship flared up at the end of February when Tromsø pushed the initiative for a World Cup boycott. Several elite league clubs joined the call.
The case managed to become a topic at the ordinary football congress in March. There, a clear majority voted to postpone the boycott issue until the summer.
Not the right tool
In the meantime, a separate committee was tasked with investigating the case and submit a report. The conclusion was that a boycott is not the right tool.
Instead, a number of measures were proposed to improve conditions for guest workers and human rights in Qatar.
“The championship should never have been given to Qatar, but there is little to suggest that a boycott will bring the changes we want,” Sven Mollekleiv said when he summed up the Qatar report for the delegates.
Qatar has been criticized for human rights violations and the treatment of guest workers for many years. Critical questions have also been asked about the way the country was awarded the World Cup in 2010.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Be the first to comment on "Norwegian football community votes against boycott of Qatar World Cup in 2022"