The German Football League (DFL) has hit out at FIFA and European authorities over the decision to go ahead with a winter World Cup in 2022.
The current debate about scheduling only provides cover for the human rights situation in the Gulf state, DFL president Reinhard Rauball has said.
On Thursday, FIFA's executive committee decided that the 2022 World Cup final will be held on Dec. 18 and thus the tournament will take place in the winter to avoid the summer heat in the Gulf state. UEFA had pushed for an even later, and wanted the final to be played on Dec. 23.
A day later, FIFA also settled their dispute with the European Club Association, when it was announced that payments to clubs for the next two World Cups will almost be tripled from the 2014 World Cup.
For the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, clubs a total of $209 million will be distributed among the clubs releasing players for the tournament. The ECA welcomed the announcement, and gave up their resistance against staging the tournament in the winter.
On Friday afternoon, however, the German Football League hit out at FIFA and "European authorities" for covering up the fundamental problems in Qatar by their debate about the scheduling of the 2022 World Cup.
"The rescheduling of the World Cup to December, which has now been confirmed, is a decision which has been taken at the expense of the fans and leagues in Europe," DFL president Reinhard Rauball was quoted on the official Bundesliga website. "However, in the last few weeks we have also noticed that even amongst the European authorities there has been too little readiness to fight for the necessary changes.
"The decision in favour of Qatar is, and remains, a major error on FIFA's behalf with serious consequences. The drastic corrections which have subsequently taken place do nothing to change that The fundamental problems remain."
In November 2014, the Garcia report looking into corruption during the awarding process of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups cleared hosts Russia and Qatar. Yet, the report did not address the situation of guest workers in the Gulf state, which has come under scrutiny since late 2013 when the Guardian broke the news of the death of migrant workers on the construction sites for the 2022 World Cup.
"The report of the Ethics Committee has so far done too little to clarify the situation with regards to the awarding of the tournament through the FIFA Executive Committee," Rauball said.
"The issue of human rights and the intolerable working conditions at the World Cup construction sites has been brushed completely under the carpet in the current debate about scheduling. That is unacceptable. World football has a permanent obligation to ask here for clear improvements."