England boss Gareth Southgate says his players can’t do much to bring about change in Qatar. The Middle Eastern country has been under fire in recent years due to the migrant worker crisis. While infrastructure was being built ahead of the next World Cup, there have been reports of abuse and death. Qatar also currently criminalizes same-sex relationships.
England powerless over human rights abuses in Qatar
Speaking ahead of the team’s loss to Italy on Friday, the coach insisted he has done his homework. “I’ve done a lot of research, I’ve talked to a lot of people, from human rights lawyers to the group of migrant workers I met in Qatar,” Southgate said.
“The FA has done a lot of due diligence with NGOs [non-governmental organizations]. So there were certain requests that were made in terms of areas that we could raise, talk about and support. I think what the FA tried to do yesterday is put them on the table.”
Southgate also discussed the decision to wear OneLove’s captain’s armbands. England, along with nine other European teams, will wear the bracelets for the remainder of the year. Rainbow bracelets help promote diversity, equality, and inclusion.
“Then aside from that, there’s the bracelet,” Southgate continued. “That is an agreement between various European nations where we felt that it was a collective position that would again lead people to have discussions and talk about these issues.”
“People I’ve talked to have explained to me, particularly human rights lawyers, that the players can’t do much more than talk about these issues and bring them to the table. In the end, we are asking for a change in a country that we respect, that has come a long way, but over which we also have no control.”
Kane: England is handcuffed
Team captain Harry Kane also claimed the players were essentially handcuffed. “There is a limit to what players can do,” Kane said. “I think that wearing the bracelet on the biggest stage in the world, one of the most televised events in the world, will have an impact. But we can only do what we can and we have definitely stepped up to help with some of the issues that exist in Qatar.”
Earlier in the week, the FA urged FIFA to compensate migrant workers and their families. It remains to be seen how the sport’s governing body will handle this particular issue. Previous reports suggested that 6,500 people were killed in Qatar while building stadiums for the World Cup. The government, however, claimed that these numbers were inflated. Qatar has said that 37 workers died between 2014 and 2020.
