By Andrew Warshaw
January 20 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter says neither the World Cup nor the upcoming winter Olympics in Sochi should be targeted for political purposes. He also reiterated the importance of the fight against social exclusion but that boycotting Sochi would be a “surrender” on this issue.
Blatter says those calling for a boycott of the Olympics because of human rights issues, notably Russia’s anti-gay laws, will not achieve anything.
FIFA itself is facing the prospect of protests at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil in a repeat of the demonstrations that marred last year’s warm-up tournament, the Confederations Cup.
Blatter, who is also an International Olympic Committee member, wrote in his column in FIFA Weekly: “2014 marks a year of celebration in the sporting world, with the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February followed by the football World Cup in Brazil this summer.
“These two events have one thing in common: they have both been misused as a platform for political disputes, and in the case of the Winter Olympics, this dispute is coming to a head with threats to boycott the Games.
“Such a boycott would change nothing. On the contrary, it may be interpreted as a refusal to establish a dialogue on the issue, as was the case with boycotts of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 or in Los Angeles in 1984.”
Russia is also hosting the 2018 World Cup and Blatter believes it is important to keep the human rights dialogue going.
“I believe that such a major event presents a perfect opportunity to strike up conversations and cultivate contacts. It is also likely that unpleasant issues will be addressed, because FIFA’s fight against discrimination does not end with the anti-racism campaign.
“We must fight every form of social exclusion. Anyone who decides to boycott the winter Olympics in Sochi will be surrendering on this important issue, just as anyone running away from a problem will never be able to resolve it.”
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