Leeds United coach confirms different Qatar stance as Jesse Marsch accepts new World Cup role - YEP 18/11/22

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Leeds United assistant coach René Marić says he ‘probably won’t watch a single game’ at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

By Joe Donnohue

Jesse Marsch’s assistant coach has outlined his stance on the World Cup in Qatar this month, divulging his thoughts on social media site Twitter in an exchange with a former colleague. The Austrian replied to a conversation regarding popular football tactics blog Spielverlagerung, which he helped establish whilst studying and in his early roles within football clubs.

"I think it’s good that we [Spielverlagerung] don’t benefit from *this* World Cup with a preview,” Marić began. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do that anyway. I probably won’t watch a single game anyway and won’t read a (football-related) report about it. So, it’s okay.”

This year’s World Cup in Qatar has been scrutinised by football federations and human rights groups over the deaths of migrant workers in the construction of stadia set to host the tournament next week, as well as the Gulf state’s legislation on homosexuality and other humanitarian issues. The Qatar World Cup has been met with opposition since FIFA’s awarding of the Finals twelve years ago, while criticism has intensified in the run-up to the tournament.

Posed with a question by another Twitter user, asking whether there is an obligation for coaches of professional teams to watch major tournaments, Marić’s replied: “[I] will watch 'my' players in their respective games, that's it,” insinuating he will tune into the United States and Denmark’s fixtures to keep track of Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen’s progress.

Grounds for Marić’s self-imposed World Cup abstention is unclear, as the Leeds assistant coach does not explicitly state his reasoning, although the 30-year-old did recently share former employers Borussia Monchengladbach’s statement on the World Cup, which read: “We are convinced that it is not right for the World Cup to be held in Qatar this year. In our eyes, the values Borussia stands for are not compatible with the awarding and hosting of this World Cup. Criteria such as respect for human rights and the careful use of our planet's resources should be taken into account when awarding major international tournaments in the future.”

"We are committed to the principles of human rights and actively oppose racist, anti-constitutional and xenophobic aspirations as well as discriminatory or inhuman behaviour,” a statement on the German club’s website said.

This week, it has been announced that Leeds’ head coach Jesse Marsch will feature as a guest columnist for The Athletic during the World Cup Finals. Prior to his side’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the American stated he did ‘not care’ who wins the tournament.

"I don’t care. And why I don’t care is because I find international football interesting, but I’m fully immersed in club football and they’re like two different sports almost,” Marsch said in his pre-match press conference.

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