Joshua Kimmich on the World Cup in Qatar: "As a team, we didn't entertain the idea of a boycott"
The German national team squad never entertained the idea of boycotting the World Cup in Qatar, says Joshua Kimmich.
Since Qatar was awarded the rights to host the World Cup, there have been calls to boycott the tournament due to human rights issues.
But speaking on behalf of the German national team squad, Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich says the players were never in favor of boycotting the tournament, although they do, of course, take the topic of human rights very seriously.
"We have had a few briefings about this topic. We, as the German national team, want to stand for certain values, which is why we took the Human Rights action," Kimmich explained at a conference entitled "Sport and Human Rights: Before during and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar," which was hosted by the German Football Association yesterday.
"As sportspeople, we are caught in a conflict. On the one hand, we want to and can stand for our values, but on the other hand, we are judged for our sporting performance in the end.
"As a team, we didn't entertain the idea of a boycott. From a sporting side, I think the calls for a boycott were unfair. Ultimately, a World Cup is every four years – the problems in Qatar began long before they were awarded the World Cup," emphasized Kimmich.