Leon Goretzka sharply criticized the homophobic statements made by the Qatari World Cup ambassador (stern reported). “It’s very oppressive, you have to say. It’s just an image of man from another millennium,” said 27-year-old Bayern professional and international Goretzka after his Bayern Munich team beat Werder Bremen 6-1. “That’s not what we want to stand for and what we live by example. It is absolutely unacceptable to make such a statement.”
This was also emphasized by Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. “The statement is simply unacceptable,” he said on Wednesday night. The whirlwind was triggered by statements by Khalid Salman, who is one of the official ambassadors for the tournament, which begins on November 20 in Qatar. In a ZDF documentary, he said that being gay was forbidden because it was mentally harmful. Above all, he has problems when children see gays. Because they would then learn something that is not good. In his eyes, being gay is “haram” and forbidden, said Salman. “It’s mental damage.” The interview was immediately terminated by the spokesman for the World Cup Organizing Committee.
When asked whether such statements could influence FC Bayern’s calculations regarding the cooperation with Qatar Airways, Salihamidzic was reluctant. “That’s the statement of a single person. We have to talk about that, of course,” he said. “But that’s just one person – and that’s unacceptable.”
The sponsorship relationship with Qatar is a controversial topic among Bayern fans. Those responsible for the club had stated that after the World Cup they wanted to decide whether to extend the cooperation until the summer of 2023. Banners clearly criticizing the statements made by the Qatar World Cup ambassador were displayed in the Bayern fan block during the game against Bremen.
In the gallery: what the fans in the Bundesliga think of the controversial World Cup venue Qatar, they expressed with numerous posters in the stands last match day: nothing!
