Paris joins big screen boycott of World Cup games from Qatar
Qatar is the only Gulf State not to qualify and they could enter the tournament as last.
The other Gulf States have boycotted the tournament, as a show of solidarity with Qatar. The US and Mexico have yet to confirm whether or not they will participate in the World Cup.
The decision to boycott Qatar’s World Cup, as seen by the US and other nations, may have been driven in large part by concerns over Qatar’s behaviour and its treatment of human rights violations.
However, with Qatar now in the semi-finals of the tournament, it is far from certain that Qatar will qualify. And even if it does, the US might not go to Qatar.
Although the US can’t legally boycott the World Cup, the US State Department has issued a statement of concerns over “the growing intolerance of freedom of expression, of assembly, freedom of religion and of the media, the abridgement of rights to freedom of movement and freedom of travel” in Qatar.
“The United States will not support efforts to boycott the World Cup in Qatar,” the State Department said in the statement.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of increased repression against freedom of expression, and we continue to encourage an independent and comprehensive investigation into the situation in Qatar.”
The US has said it won’t send any more teams to the World Cup for the next edition of the tournament, a decision prompted by the “increasing political instability” in the region.
The boycott has also been backed by some members of the Arab League, and the Arab world as a whole, and this could give Qatar a powerful argument in favour of its request for a veto or suspension.
Qatar’s delegation to the World Cup boycott is made up of members of the ruling family, ministers, academics and sports scientists.
In a statement issued by the country’s mission to Fifa, Qatar’s Deputy Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said: “The government
