Fans across German stadiums call for Qatar World Cup boycott

By CIARÁN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s professional soccer leagues have been marked by widespread protests against the World Cup in Qatar. For the last Bundesliga game before its winter break Freiburg fans held a huge banner saying “Boycott Qatar.” It seemed almost every supporter in its stadium held a sign calling for a boycott of the tournament seven days before it was due to begin. They were the final protests after weeks of public displays across stadiums against the tournament awarded to Qatar by FIFA amid allegations of vote-buying in 2010. Bernd Beyer of the “Boycott Qatar 2022” initiative tells The Associated Press, “The fans do not identify with it and are saying they don’t want to have anything to do with it.”