Paris joins other French cities in boycott of World Cup screenings

Officials in Paris have announced that there will be no big screens in the city showing action from the upcoming 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

The capital has followed several other French cities in boycotting the tournament, with Pierre Rabadan, the deputy mayor, confirming to AFP that this was for both “environment and social” reasons.

Lille’s city council voted unanimously in favour of a ban on fanpark-style events last week, with Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg and Reims among the cities since following suit.

The timing of the tournament (20 November 20 - 18 December) in the Northern Hemisphere winter has also been cited as a reason not to screen games.

“For us, there was no question of setting up big screen areas for several reasons: the first is the conditions in which this World Cup has been organised, both in terms of the environment and the social aspect,” explained Rabadan.

“The second is the fact that it takes place in December.”

The awarding of the World Cup to Qatar has been heavily criticised by human rights groups.

Amnesty International has alleged that “hundreds of thousands” of migrant workers have faced human rights abuses during the building of facilities for the tournament despite the introduction of labour reforms in 2018.

Parisians were able to watch France win the 2018 World Cup in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower after the setting up of a big screen on the Champ-de-Mars.

An estimated 20,000 watched the semi-final victory over Belgium on a big screen in front of the Hôtel de Ville.