Winners of the ethics World Cup

The Story

Germany’s football team haven’t just left the World Cup at an embarrassingly early stage, their brief appearance in Qatar seems to have wrought havoc on diplomatic relations between Berlin and Doha.

A diplomatic cable sent back to Berlin by the German embassy last week warned that the mood among Qataris was “miserable” after a series of perceived slights against their culture.

Two incidents in particular caused upset. In a group photo before their first game, Germany's footballers decided to cover their mouths after they were threatened with punishment over a plan to wear a ‘One Love’ armband in solidarity with LBTQ fans. And at the same game, Interior Minister Nancy Faesar chose to wear the armband in protest.

According to ambassador Claudius Fischbach, these gestures were seen by the Qataris as an act of “disrespect for a foreign culture.”

Furthermore, the Qataris see themselves as the victims of an "unprecedented media campaign that lacked any balance or sense of proportion," …