Manchester United legend Eric Cantona made the decision in January to boycott the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Adam Crafton, the Frenchman explained the reasons behind his bold decision and why he thinks his former teammate David Beckham has made a huge mistake.
On what motivated him to make the decision, Cantona said: “It’s just the money and the way they treated the people who built the stadiums, it’s horrible.”
“Thousands of people died. And yet, we are going to celebrate this World Cup. Personally, I won’t see it.”
The 56-year-old said that while he recognized that football is a business, he still had to come to terms with the unequal distribution of opportunity in the sector.
As an alternative to watching the World Cup, Cantona suggested he ride a motorcycle in South America or spend time kicking a ball around with poor kids in other parts of the world.
He admitted that his personal choice was his and he did not expect players to pursue the same course of action as him.
“If you have a player who says, ‘I will boycott the World Cup,’ you say, ‘Bravo.’ But you can’t condemn a 20-year-old player, who has a 10-year career, who lives in a world surrounded by football people 24 hours a day.”
Instead, he blamed sports authorities, including federations, politicians, ministers and presidents who have the power to make a difference.
Cantona was questioned about the players who act as ambassadors and promoters of the global event, including Beckham, with whom he shared the field.
The former striker insisted that he would not do it if he were in the same skin.
He said that these former players did it because they were not aware of the situation or, if they were, they were making a big mistake.
