The former defender of the Blues considers that internationals do not have to replace politicians to position themselves on the question of human rights in Qatar.
The FIFA World Cup kicks off in less than two months in Qatar (Nov 20-Dec 18) and as the event draws closer, calls for a boycott are growing, in response to human rights abuses. man and workers in the emirate.
Repeated controversies that should not disturb the players of the France team. According to the former defender of the Blues speaking on RMC Sports, the internationals do not have to take a position, nor to take on a role that is not theirs. “I don’t agree with the idea that you have to raise their level of consciousness. The players are not brought to play politics. Everyone is in his project, everyone is a normal citizen without having any obligation. We need to be exemplary but it’s limited to that“, explained Marcel Desailly.
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I had my ideas and my convictions, but I kept that to myself, in private. There is no obligation for a player to step up on a topic
Marcel Desailly
The 1998 world champion considers that the positioning of Didier Deschamps’ men on the subject must remain within the strict framework of the private sphere. “I would not have done it, I was in the context of sport. I had my ideas and my convictions, but I kept that to myself, in private. There is no obligation for a player to step up on a topic“, he added.
A reflection which is similar to that of the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who, on the antennas of France Info at the end of September, had considered that football players should not be asked to replace politicians. “ The players of the France team are not politicians, they are not officials of the Quai d’Orsay, they are there to play. We must leave the players at the right level, neither too much nor too little“, had explained the member of the government.