[…]
[DFB president] Neuendorf said the prevailing European view of Saudi Arabia’s lamentable human rights record is not universally shared, that the country was committed to sport and that a rejection would have been “pure symbolic politics.”
That is not a position that will wash with many fan groups in Germany, a country where football and politics are rarely seen as separate by the fans.
“It contradicts all ethical principles of sport to select such a country to host the World Cup,” fan group Fairness United said earlier this week.
“FIFA’s decision is based solely on the logic of profit and corruption and makes a mockery of its own noble commitment to human rights and sustainability.”
[…]
