“It’s important on the pitch” is a popular football bon mot. On Sunday evening in Freiburg, the fans of SC and Union Berlin impressively refuted this saying. Because both fan camps protested together against the football World Cup in Qatar, which begins next weekend. “Boycott Qatar” was written in white on black pieces of paper that the fans held up. A banner with the imprint “Gastarbeiter = Slaves” hung on an upper tier.
The working conditions of the guest workers on the construction sites of the World Cup stadiums and the domestic help have been a thorn in the side of football fans in western countries for years. Amnesty International said last month that labor law reforms introduced in 2017 have brought noticeable improvements but are still not sufficiently implemented. The human rights organization estimates that hundreds of people have died while working in the scorching heat – on World Cup construction sites, for example.
In Freiburg, the fans show together that there are even more important things than “on the pitch”: human rights, fair pay and occupational safety, for example. Surveys also show that many people in Germany are critical of the World Cup venue, do not want to watch the games or would like a sign from the DFB team against the abuses in the host country. Read the table, all results and statistics for the Bundesliga you here
SC Freiburg won “Auf’m Platz” against Union Berlin 4:1 and jumped to second place, Union overwintered in fifth place. In view of the great first half of the season including a temporary lead in the table, Union fans should still warmly welcome to the traditional Christmas carols in gather at the old forester’s house. And the star of the match day is on top for the successful protest for all fans in the stadium.
