The Daily Bee: Borussia Dortmund Fans Protest the 2022 Qatar World Cup

Even though it feels like the season began not too long ago, we’re actually almost halfway through. The schedule compression caused by the World Cup is quite jarring. On one hand, it’s given us almost constant Bundesliga football with only one international break, but at the same time, the Hinrunde has practically flown by.

Ever since it was announced, the World Cup has been a subject of major controversy. The World Cup was awarded to Qatar, at least according to the U.S. Department of Justice, because it bribed FIFA officials. Thousands of laborers have reportedly suffered intolerable conditions, many of which led to serious injury or death. Despite all their sophistry, deflection, and PR pieces, the government of Qatar has been found by numerous independent, non-governmental investigations to repeatedly commit numerous human rights violations, and although the Government has nominally committed to labor and social reforms, actual implementation of these changes has been limited.

Many clubs and fanbases around the world have called for various countries and players to boycott the World Cup, and Borussia Dortmund’s fans this weekend joined in.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

My opinion on boycotts has always been such: I don’t expect players to forfeit a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the FIFA World Cup, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fans watching and enjoying the tournament. That being said, any player who actually does come out and boycott the World Cup will have my respect, whatever that’s worth.

Here at Fear the Wall, we haven’t yet decided what level of coverage we will provide for the World Cup. Bavarian Football Works typically covers the German National Team, and most of us aren’t even Germany fans, so I don’t see a point in providing similar coverage when you can just read their material. Please let us know if there’s any content you’d like us to provide about the World Cup.

Anyway, here are the links:

The Links

• My little brother was at the game against VfL Bochum on Saturday. He said that the atmosphere was great and that he had a lot of fun, although he did also say that the Westfalenstadion smells like cigarettes and beer.
• Although he will miss the next two games for Bayern Munich, Canada’s Alphonso Davies will not be out for the World Cup. Germany’s Timo Werner, on the other hand, is not so lucky.

The Daily Buzz

What kind of World Cup content would you be interested in? Coverage of Germany, the most interesting stories in general, the BVB players involved, or something else? Are we participating in sports washing by covering it? Let me know your thoughts.