Your reaction
We received a mix of reactions. The areas of concern and reflection – profiting from showing the games, and taking the opportunity to educate people – are highlighted in the two responses below:
You can’t care that much about the abhorrent human rights abuses if you’re still going to make a profit from the World Cup in your venues. Typical saying one thing and doing another.
The world cup needs to be screened in the union, as it is safer to broadcast it in a place where education on the morally questionable parts of the world cup can be raised. Otherwise people will just watch it elsewhere anyway, with less exposure to human rights and lgbt issues.
Our response
We have decided to continue showing the fixtures. As some of you have noted, we acknowledge that fans will want to enjoy the games, so we are using the opportunity to screen them in a safe place where we can educate people by raising awareness on the human rights issues surrounding sports tournaments like this one.
It has been wonderful to see international communities come together in a friendly and celebratory atmosphere to watch the games in our venues – thank you to everyone who has made sure that the experience is safe and inclusive.
In regards to the comments about profit, we’d like to emphasise that LUU is a not-for-profit charity, and every penny spent in our venues goes back to the Union’s activities, like our liberation campaigns, Help & Support services, fun and engaging events for everyone, and much more. In other words, it goes back to students.
Finally, for those concerned about the use of alcohol associated with football culture, we’d like to remind you that you can enjoy the games in Common Ground, which is an alcohol-free venue.
Your voice continues to matter. Please get in touch if you’d like to address any further questions, or if you have any ideas on how we can take this opportunity to make the World Cup an enjoyable and inclusive experience for as many students as possible.
