French football to donate to NGOs in response to Qatar criticisms

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The French football team has published a letter in which they say that they will provide financial support to a selection of NGOs working “for the protection of human rights”. 

French newspaper Le Monde state that the letter, which was published on social media, represents the team’s means of trying to avoid being entangled in the controversies that surround the World Cup being held in Qatar. 

In the statement, the team claim to be “sensitive” to “alerts from NGOs and associations” and they stress “their commitment to respect for human rights and their rejection of any form of discrimination”. They then go on to explain which NGOs will receive financial donations. 

Up until this point, the French team has sought to avoid commenting on the social, ecological or political issues linked to the World Cup in Qatar. When asked about it in May, the manager Didier Deschamps replied to say “I don’t want to get into a media debate”. 

Meanwhile, the President of the French football federation Noël Le Graët, dismissed concerns about the living conditions of the employees of the hotel in which the team will be staying, saying that their accommodation “just needs a lick of paint”. This led to criticisms, with the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, calling his reaction “shocking”.


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