German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser, who is also in charge of sports, announced at the end of her visit to Doha on Tuesday that she would return to Qatar to attend Germany’s first World Cup match.
“It is important to support Qatar in its most important reforms for the future. For this reason, I decided to support this path and go there to attend Germany’s first match against Japan on November 23, Weisser told ERD public television.
“We will also support reforms in Qatar after the World Cup so that the daily reality of migrant workers and human rights conditions continue to improve,” she added.
The minister made this statement at the end of a two-day visit to Doha, during which she was accompanied by the president of the German Football Association, Bernd Neuendorf.
Weisser met in Doha with the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of Qatar, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, trade union representatives and other representatives of the UN International Labor Organization.
The German minister stressed that during her visit to Doha, she received “for the first time” “safety guarantees” for all fans who will visit Qatar during the World Cup, including LGBT visitors, in a country whose laws criminalize homosexuality.
“All people, no matter where they come from, who they love and what they believe in, must be safe at the World Cup,” Weisser said in a statement. “Every fan must feel free and be able to move around safely.”
“The Prime Minister gave me this security guarantee,” she added.
However, a source familiar with the talks Weisser held in Doha confirmed to AFP that “the Qatari prime minister conveyed to the German minister the same message that other Qatari officials had conveyed publicly and to the media, that everyone is welcome, but Qatar asks everyone to respect its culture and beliefs.”
Source: AFP.