There will probably be no public viewing in the larger Hessian cities this year. On the one hand, this is due to the controversial venue of Qatar – but there are other reasons as well. And what about the pubs and clubs?
Frankfurt (dpa/lhe) – The World Cup in Qatar will start in a few weeks, but no major fan festivals are planned in the Hessian cities. “The city of Frankfurt is not planning any public viewing,” says the responsible planning department. And: There is now a general consensus that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a mistake overall.
The situation is similar in other municipalities: According to the cities, no official public viewing events should be held in Kassel, Gießen, Fulda, Marburg, Rüsselsheim and Offenbach. In Wiesbaden, a decision is still pending.
Hanau also decided early on not to offer any public viewing organized or supported by the city, said a city spokesman. “She thinks the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar was wrong for a number of reasons and therefore does not want to support it.” With regard to the energy crisis and climate change, the orientation in Qatar is a completely wrong sign. Above all, the human rights situation and the conditions for guest workers are unacceptable.
The soccer World Cup in Qatar starts on November 20th, the final will be held on December 18th. For the first time, a final round will be played in winter, which causes displeasure among many. Above all, however, the tournament has come under criticism because the emirate has been accused of massive violations of human rights, for example in the construction of the stadiums.
Some innkeepers and clubs also refuse to broadcast the World Cup soccer games. Pubs across Germany are closing in the campaign “
The football club KSV Hessen Kassel decided last year to boycott the World Cup. “A World Cup in Qatar is not compatible with our value compass, particularly because of the human rights violations,” said a club spokesman. There will therefore not be a public viewing in Kassel’s Auestadion, as was the case at the 2014 World Cup.
Other restaurateurs, on the other hand, want to show the World Cup games. “Our location will not be decorated, but we will broadcast all games and all goals to the bitter end,” said Carla Roczek from the Roczek’s sports bar in Wiesbaden. According to the Danish model, she got a completely black jersey that she wanted to wear at work. Denmark’s national team wants to send a signal against human rights violations by wearing black jerseys at the World Cup.
The Alex Gaststätten Gesellschaft, which operates restaurants in Frankfurt, Kassel and Wiesbaden, “does not want to advertise live broadcasts of World Cup games with German participation, but does not want to rule them out,” explained managing director Bernd Riegger. They do not want to “patronize” the guests, but only show the games “if a noticeable majority of our guests are interested in a broadcast”.
Whether football fans will be able to join in the excitement at World Cup games in front of big screens in cinemas is still open, at least in the case of “Kinopolis”. While sporting events such as the World Cup have been shown in cinemas in Darmstadt, Giessen, Sulzbach and Hanau in the past, no decision has yet been made regarding the live broadcast of this year’s World Cup, explained an employee.
