Doha, Nov 21: When Denmark meets Tunisia in the World Cup on Tuesday it will pit one of the most outspoken critics of the tournament being hosted by Qatar against one of the four Arab nations competing.
The game at Education City Stadium will also mark Christian Eriksen’s return to a major tournament after his cardiac arrest at last year’s European Championship.
Denmark has lofty goals following a semifinal appearance at Euro 2020 followed by a near-perfect qualifying campaign, while Tunisia is seeking to advance from the group stage for the first time in its sixth World Cup.
Since arrival in Qatar, Denmark has been training in kits that are all black to mourn migrant workers who died building infrastructure for the tournament.
Denmark was also planning on wearing the “One Love” anti-discrimination armband along with other European teams before the campaign was dropped when FIFA threatened to hand out yellow cards.
“Imagine going on the pitch with a clear yellow card to start with. That is not possible and we have to make sure that it’s not up to the players to make that decision,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said.
Tunisia coach Jalal Kadri also addressed the armband issue. “We are in an Arab country with Islam tradition. We have to respect the culture of other people,” Kadri said.
Danish Football Union sporting director Peter Møller was critical of how FIFA president Gianni Infantino lectured the media on the eve of the tournament for attacking Qatar’s human rights record and defended the host country’s last-minute decision to ban beer from stadiums.
“Some of the things he said I don’t agree with. He talks down to journalists and us federations,” Møller said.
“On the one hand I’m surprised by it but on the other hand it says something that he used an entire speech to discuss what we and other federations are fighting against so he knows well that this is a hot potato and that he needs to deal with it the next time a host is chosen.”
Eriksen’s return, though, remains one of the tournament’s most moving stories, less than 18 months after medics used a defibrillator to restart his heart as a horrified nation watched on as he lay lifeless on the field at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
Tunisia has only two World Cup wins – the first against Mexico in 1978 and then against Panama four years ago in Russia. (AP)
