France’s decision to send officers to Qatar to help with security for the looming football World Cup has raised eyebrows amid mounting calls to boycott the event over human rights abuses. The deployment of an international force – with security from the US, the UK, Turkey and beyond – also highlights the logistical and security challenges of hosting FIFA’s showcase tournament in the tiny Gulf state.
The month-long football extravaganza, which opens in Doha on November 20, made headlines in France this week as Paris and other large cities announced they would not erect the customary giant screens to broadcast the matches in protest at the tournament’s environmental impact and the widely documented rights violations during Qatar’s preparations for the event.
