Former Qatar international and World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman called homosexuality “mental harm” in an interview to be shown on German television on Tuesday.
The country will tolerate homosexual visitors, but “they have to accept our rules,” Salman said in an interview with ZDF channel filmed in Qatar.
In the interview, abruptly cut short after the remarks, Salman added that homosexuality is “haram”, a forbidden sin in Islam.
The Gulf kingdom received criticism ahead of the World Cup for its human rights record, including its treatment of migrant workers and its stance on women’s rights and LGBTQIA+.
Homosexuality is illegal in the emirate.
Captains of European teams such as England, France or Germany will wear rainbow-colored armbands and the message “One Love” in an anti-discrimination campaign.
Fans in German stadiums called for a boycott of the World Cup on Saturday.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said last week during a visit to Qatar that she will attend the World Cup after receiving “security assurances” from the emirate’s prime minister for LGBTQIA+ fans.
Some German deputies accompanied the minister during the visit, but the government’s human rights commissioner, Luise Amtsberg, did not participate in the trip.
Faeser had previously declared that hosting the World Cup in Qatar was “very sensitive” from Berlin’s point of view, prompting Doha to summon the German ambassador for consultations.
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