Unlike many French cities, like Paris, Marseille or Lille
, the town hall of Dijon will not boycott the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The municipality announced
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 that it could organize the broadcast of matches, indoors, if the French team reaches the semi-finals. “I understand people saying ‘it’s a shame that it’s happening in Qatar’ but it looks like some are discovering the moon”. Exclusively at the microphone of France Bleu Bourgogne, the mayor of Dijon, François Rebsamen, explains what motivated his decision. And castigates the speeches “hypocrites” of some mayors.
FBB: Why won’t the city of Dijon boycott the broadcast of World Cup matches?
François Rebsamen: I think that in certain declarations made by the mayors, it’s a bit of the discovery of something that has existed since Nicolas Sarkozy. It has been known for twelve years that the World Cup will take place in Qatar. I did not hear all the mayors, who today are crying wolf, protest at the time against the choice of Qatar. Maybe some, but not all, anyway I didn’t hear much protest.
However, the World Cup will take place – as it took place in Russia (in 2018, editor’s note), which nevertheless had annexed Crimea, and which was still not a country renowned for the rights of the man, as far as I know. The French team will play. If she plays well and goes to the semi-finals, you will see at that time if people will not say “finally it’s very good, we can still retransmit”. I’m betting that if the French team goes far, you’ll see, there will be a lot more broadcasts than you might think.
I’m betting that if the French team goes far, you’ll see, there will be a lot more broadcasts than you think – François Rebsamen
What is your opinion on this World Cup?
We are now in an even stronger ecological and climate crisis, and it seems all the more ridiculous, I do not deny it, to have footballers play in air-conditioned stadiums. It is an ecological aberration. I also share this feeling that there have been unacceptable human rights violations in Qatar, I am fully aware of that.
I have the weakness to think that, when we receive people like that, tourism, it will change a little, I hope, the Qatari regime – which moreover owns PSG, without it bothering anyone .
In 2010, when the World Cup was awarded, did you take a position?
I was like everyone else, I was flabbergasted to learn that. But afterwards, there were, in addition, the violations. We did not know that they were going to build … well, we could have guessed it. But there, during these ten years, I didn’t hear many protests about human rights there. There were some, but not a lot.
Why choose to broadcast the matches of the Blues only in the event of a semi-final, and not before?
We have to wait until there is still a big stake. First, because it costs a little. As we have done each time, we will not broadcast all the matches of the French team, that’s for sure, we have never broadcast all the matches of the French team.
But, from a moment when there is really a popular fervor – and it is always there when France achieves results – in addition with emblematic players for part of the youth, like Mbappé or Benzema, it seems to me a little hypocritical. A bit in tune with the times to say: “No, it’s in Qatar so we don’t do it”. But when it’s PSG… it’s Qatar, and no one can find anything to complain about. BeIn Sport is Qatar, and there are plenty of them who have subscriptions, I’m sure.
How would these broadcasts be organized in Dijon?
France must already go to the semi-finals, and in the World Cup it is never sure. Obviously, we are not going to do it outside, we are not going to do fan-zones in December. But if France goes there, I suppose it will be full, at the Zenith.