In three days, the moment arrives: The men's football World Cup will kick off in Qatar with the opening match between the host country and Ecuador.
Never before has the meaningfulness of a global sports mega-event been so intensely debated before the kick-off.
As Sports For Future, we stand for teamwork and fair play. We advocate for a sustainable and environmentally friendly elite and grassroots sports and aim to harness the unifying power of sports to tackle the challenges of the climate crisis.
Numerous investigations demonstrate that the values and ideals outlined above were not adequately considered in a manner acceptable to us, neither during the awarding nor in the preparations for the tournament.
Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010 in the fourth round of voting, even though, according to FIFA's own reports, it was the least suitable among all bidders to host the tournament. The fact that seven out of eight stadiums had to be newly built for the tournament can be cited as further evidence.
Furthermore, the emirate attracts public attention due to extreme political stances, homophobia, disregard for freedom of opinion and the press, as well as undignified working conditions.
In addition, the World Cup in Qatar will generate more emissions than any football World Cup before. At a time when an unprecedented energy crisis prevails and the world is at risk of missing the 1.5-degree target, the tournament sends a disastrous signal to the world.
We call on FIFA and all involved stakeholders to fundamentally overhaul the bidding process for future tournaments. It requires a transparent set of criteria in which sustainability and an attitude compatible with the core values of sports must not only be aspects but conditions.
For example, the German Football League (DFL), Easycreditbbl , and the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) have shown how, at the league level, structural efforts can and must be made toward a sustainable and environmentally friendly future for elite sports.
Sports, and especially global football, must live up to its role in society before there is #NoFutureForSports!
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