Gareth Southgate says workers in Qatar are eager for the World Cup to go ahead. Really?
Qatar has also come under fire over the conditions to which migrant workers have been subjected as they build the infrastructure needed for the tournament.
The host nation has also been strongly criticised for its human rights record and stance on same-sex relationships.
Despite the issues, the England manager told CNN he had no doubt that the tournament should be staged.
“I’ve been out to Qatar several times and I’ve met with lots of the workers out there,” he said.
“They are united in certainly one thing – that’s that they want the tournament to happen, and they want that because they love football. They want the football to come to Qatar.”
Isn’t that nice? Is Southgate really that clueless?
Thousands of migrant workers have reportedly died in Qatar since work commenced preparing Qatar for the World Cup.
Amnesty International has been extremely vocal about the situation, but little has changed over the past few years.
Southgate said the Football Association was engaging with human rights groups to discuss what action could be taken.
“As an FA, we’ve talked to human rights groups about what they would like to see,” he added.
“We’re trying to support those ideas with compensation for families who have lost workers and a worker’s rights centre. So, we’re supporting the things we’ve been asked to support.”
Southgate’s comments are shameful
The fact that the FA are talking to human rights groups tells you everything you need to know about the upcoming tournament.
Southgate is somehow under the illusion that this makes it okay that thousands of people have died to enable a football tournament to be played.
If worker’s rights were as they should have been in the first place, there would be no need to discuss compensating families.
Qatar 2022 is a World Cup that has been built on blood. No amount of talking to human rights groups or compensation can change that fact.
To put it bluntly, Southgate’s comments are disgraceful and he should be ashamed of himself.
Here’s a thought. If Southgate wants to do the right thing, how about persuading the FA to boycott the tournament?
