Former French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that if he were the head of state now, he would not go to the World Cup in Qatar (November 20 – December 18, 2022), AFP reports.

Hollande stated that footballers also have a social role, apart from the role of athletes. At the same time, he said that he understands why it is difficult for PSG players to speak out against the controversy regarding the World Cup in Qatar (the club is owned by the investment fund Qatar Sports Investment).

“If I were the head of state, I would not go. I cannot ask football players not to go to a competition for which they have been preparing for years. I think it is not easy for a PSG player to talk about Qatar, considering his employer.

Instead, a high-level player or athlete – and there are many – could fight racism when they became a victim. They have managed to get involved in certain cases, especially the issue of climate or human rights.

Maybe someone will speak up when they are at the World Cup, but it is not known whether it will be, because it is not a place where it is comfortable to express one’s point of view, in conditions where a player is expected to fulfill his mission to win first in the competition.

When Mbappe takes a stand on a certain topic, he mobilizes a certain number of young people, given how many followers he has on social media. Being an athlete means not just playing with a ball and running fast, it also means that you have a social role, which is not easy” – Francois Hollande.

In recent years, the organization of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been criticized, drawing attention to human rights violations in the Persian Gulf country.