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The French ambassador to Qatar, Jean-Baptiste Vivre, refused in a televised interview on Monday to boycott the World Cup, which will be hosted by the small Gulf emirate in November. Pfeffer said Paris will send 300 troops and police to participate in the tournament’s securing, noting that at least 10,000 French fans will go to Qatar to support the roosters.
At least ten thousand will be present French fan World Cup and Paris will send 300 soldiers and police to participate in securing the major sporting event, according to the French ambassador to Qatar Jean-Baptiste Vivre, who rejected the idea of ”boycotting” football marriage.
In a televised interview broadcast on Monday evening, the French ambassador was a guest on the local sports channel “Al-Kass”, and spoke at length and in perfect Arabic about his country’s position on the calls for a boycott of the World Cup, the first of which the game starts on the 20th of this month.
“Are there people asking for France’s position? Is there a boycott by France? The answer is, of course, no. France will not boycott the World Cup,” he said.
Lefevre pointed to a recent opinion poll conducted in his country, which showed that “60% of French people will watch the World Cup, and this means 10% more than the percentage of the World Cup in Russia”.
He added: “According to the latest information available to me, there are about ten thousand French people who have obtained the Haya card, and this means that there are at least 10,000 French people who will come to Qatar to attend the World Cup. This is proof that even the image we have in France is positive “.
The French ambassador also revealed that his country will send 300 staff from the ministries of defense and the interior to Qatar to participate in ensuring the safety of the World Cup. “This is our contribution to the safety of the World Cup, the safety of the fans and the safety of the state of Qatar.”
“No country is perfect and perfect”
Former players, including Eric Cantona, and French political and municipal leaders have called for a boycott of the World Cup in recent months due to the human rights record of the small Gulf emirate, in particular as regards with migrant workers.
Pfeffer stressed that his appearance on the Qatar channel aims to clear up the confusion surrounding the official French position on the first World Cup hosted by an Arab country.
He said: “The French official position, I think, is one that wants to be fair and constructive. We don’t give lessons because those who give lessons must, in my opinion, be perfect and complete, and no country is perfect and perfect, and every country has gone through phases, development and progress, and we are convinced that the state of Qatar wants to move forward “.
Regarding the decision of several French municipalities, first of all Paris, not to install giant screens in the squares as they did in previous editions of the World Cup, the ambassador said that this decision “also falls under certain circumstances: now we are in winter, and in France the weather is in season “. Winter is cold and people prefer to watch the games indoors, in cafes, restaurants and homes. “
He added that “the lack of screens abroad is to a certain extent normal and also an economic measure in light of the economic conditions in which we live in France”.
The French ambassador underlined the close relations between his country and Qatar on an economic, political, military and cultural level.
He also expressed his gratitude for the fact that “Qatar is committed to assisting Europe in the field of energy in very difficult circumstances for Europe. We collaborate daily with Qatar in the management of regional crises critical to the security of the France and Europe, for example in Libya, also Lebanon, Iran and the Sahel “.
The French oil giant Total Energy, in particular, has signed this year two important contracts with the emirate for the development of the North Field, the largest natural gas field in the world.
FRANCE 24 / AFP
