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