Qatar critics are too harsh, their culture must be respected, says senior German football official – Doha News

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Critics have gone too far in attacking Qatar for hosting the World Cup, the vice-president of the German Football Association said, adding that the country’s culture and heritage should be respected.

Ronnie Zimmerman told the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday that extreme criticism and condemnation of Qatar since 2010 was not the right course of action.

“I consider general and absolute rejection an exaggeration, because it leads to nothing but rejection from the other side,” he said.

Qatar has “changed a lot of things positively in recent years, especially with regard to the working conditions of foreign workers”, he added.

Zimmerman said that after talking to foreign and European citizens and workers who have lived in Qatar for several years, he saw a different picture of the country.

“I came to an Arab country for the first time in my life and after all the negative reports, frankly, I was very surprised by the openness and friendliness of our welcome,” Zimmerman said.

Tensions arose between Germany and Qatar over the World Cup, as German politicians and players sought to use the tournament to express political messages.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in October that Qatar’s hosting of the tournament was very delicate for the German government, saying it would be better if the tournaments were not awarded to those states.

In response, Qatar’s foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador, while the Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement condemning the violation of diplomatic norms, traditions and international laws.

Faeser’s comments that sparked a diplomatic row between Doha and Berlin were “misinterpreted”, the official said during a visit to the Gulf state, Al Jazeera reported.

Faeser made a two-day visit to the Qatari capital amid a row that was sparked by his public criticism of Qatars hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It is important to support the country of Qatar in revolutionary reforms, Faeser said.

“That’s why I decided to continue being part of the process and to go to the first game of the Germany team.”

However, Faeser continued to wear the controversial OneLove armband in support of the LGBTQ community during Germany’s game against Japan.

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