Paris not to show Qatar World Cup games on TV

World Cup matches on big screens in public fan zones will not be broadcast in Paris amid concerns over the violation of rights of the migrant workers, and the impact on environment of the tournament in Qatar.
According to Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, due to the conditions of the organisation of this World Cup, both on the societal and environmental level, the decision against the public broadcasting of matches is taken. In an interview with France Blue Paris, he mentioned that what is to be questioned is air-conditioned stadiums and the conditions under which these facilities have been built. Rabadan puts an emphasis on the fact that the soccer tournament is not boycotted by Paris, thereby explaining that the model of Qatar of staging big events is against what the host of Olympics, 2024 wants to organize. The move is a contradiction to the fact that Paris Saint-German, the city’s football club being owned by Qatar Sports Investments. Rabadan said: “Though we have very constructive relations with the club and its entourage, however it does not prevent us when we disagree.” A large number of French cities are rejecting to build screens broadcasting World Cup matches in order to stage a protest against Qatar’s human rights record.
Jeanne Barseghian mentioned in a statement: “It is not possible by us to neglect the warnings of exploitation and abuse of the migrant workers by non-governmental organizations, we cannot disregard these abuses and turn a blind eye when there is a violation of human rights and an impact on the environment.” She said: “Organising a soccer tournament in the desert disobeys common sense, amounting to an ecological disaster.”