Danes declare themselves ‘anti-FIFA’

58.2% of Danes support leaving their football association FIFA because of the controversy over the celebration of Qatar World Cup 2022 and the protests related to human rights and the treatment of immigrant workers, according to a survey released this Thursday by the Ritzau agency.

Of the total number of people in favor of leaving FIFA, only 11.6% believe that Denmark should do it alone, while others condition their support for this proposal on the fact that more countries are involved.

A third of Danes urge the Danish Football Federation (DBU) to take the initiative to create another association parallel to FIFA, while 53% are critical of its work.

As elsewhere, the World Cup celebrations in Qatar have sparked controversy in Denmark, with the federation among those wanting team captains to wear the ‘One Love’ armband during matches, something which has been done by FIFA. not allowed under threat of punishment.

This proposal was openly criticized by the DBU, which also announced in a press conference held at the beginning of the tournament that it would not support the re-election of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“We are surprised that we can’t wear that bracelet,” said DBU president, Jesper Møller, at a demonstration in Doha on the 22nd, where he was “disappointed” and “angry” and said he had never lived then “something like”.

The Danish president then separated the decision not to support Infantino from what happened with the bracelet and the shirtless ban in favor of human rights training for the Danish team. “It is not a decision that we have taken now. The Nordic countries already discussed it in August,” he said.

Jesper Møller insisted on the need for “changes” in FIFA and accepted as a “hypothetical” possibility that Denmark could leave this organization if nothing happens.