The Denmark national team, who was denied wearing human rights shirts in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, will travel to the Gulf state on Tuesday, with no official representation from the government or the royal family.
And the Danish government has announced that none of its members will be present at the opening ceremony of the World Cup next Sunday, not even its ambassador in Doha.
And Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen tendered her cabinet resignation after winning elections earlier this month and is currently in talks to form a new one.
“The aim is currently to form a new government. In the meantime, Denmark will not be officially represented at the World Cup in Qatar,” sports minister Anne Halsbo-Jørgensen told Danish news agency Ritzau.
There will also be no Kingdom representation at the opening ceremony, as Crown Prince Frederick, a national aficionado, has announced that he is siding with the government’s position.
“The national team has my full support, wherever they play in the world,” he said via Instagram on Monday after visiting the players. “This time I can’t wait to cheer on the national team from home.”
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has refused a request for the Denmark national team to wear human rights T-shirts while training for the World Cup in Qatar.
Qatar is facing criticism due to its human rights record, particularly regarding the issue of foreign workers in World Cup construction projects and the rights of women and the LGBT community.
Hommel, the sports sponsor of the national team, had previously decided to cancel its logo on the official shirt during the World Cup, in “a protest against Qatar and its human rights record”.
In addition to the traditional red jersey of Denmark, the only Scandinavian country participating in the World Cup, Hummel also presented a gray and black jersey with a barely visible logo.
Denmark dropped into Group D, alongside defending champions France, Australia and Tunisia.
