Bayern Munich Alumni: Philipp Lahm expresses criticism over holding the World Cup in Qatar

Bayern Munich alumnus Philipp Lahm would rather follow the World Cup from home than travel to Qatar.

“I’m not a part of the delegation and I’m not keen on flying there as a fan,” the world champion said in an interview to kicker. “I’d rather follow the tournament from home.”

Lahm was earlier appointed the tournament director for the European Championship in 2024, to be held at Germany.

He has made his criticisms about the organization of the biggest international tournament clear.

“Human rights should play the biggest role in the awarding of a tournament. If a country that is one of the worst performers in this regard is awarded the contract, you start to think about what criteria are used to decide,” he said, pointing to the fact that Qatar is not exactly the forerunner of human rights.

In addition to the human rights situation, the issues of sustainability and the size of the country apparently played no role, according to Lahm.

He believes it is imperative that the German internationals should make critical comments about the event during the World Cup. ”As a player, you can’t get around it anymore,” he declared.