FIFA Condemned for ‘Ignoring’ Human Rights to ‘Focus on Football’ – Amnesty
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Amnesty International has accused FIFA of “sweeping under the carpet” the human rights concerns in Qatar, ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Responding to FIFA President Gianni Infantino urging everyone to “focus on the football” when the tournament kicks off in a couple of weeks, Amnesty has condemned soccer’s governing body for its statement.
Infantino wrote to all 32 nations competing, saying: “Please, let’s now focus on the football!
“We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world.
“But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”
Amnesty International has hit back at these comments in a statement which it shared with Newsweek.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, said: “If Gianni Infantino wants the world to ‘focus on the football’ there is a simple solution: FIFA could finally start tackling the serious human rights issues rather than brushing them under the carpet.
“A first step would be publicly committing to the establishment of a fund to compensate migrant workers before the tournament kicks off and ensuring that LGBT people do not face discrimination or harassment. It is astonishing they still have not done so.”
Cockburn continued: “Gianni Infantino is right to say that ‘football does not exist in a vacuum.’ Hundreds of thousands of workers have faced abuses to make this tournament possible and their rights cannot be forgotten or dismissed.
“They deserve justice and compensation, not empty words, and time is running out.”
There were also calls for FIFA to ban Iran from the tournament for supplying weapons to aid Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Iran plays the United States, England and Wales in the group stage, which starts in less than three weeks.
The letter from FIFA doesn’t address these concerns and also doesn’t reference a request by England, Wales and six other European nations for their captains to wear “One Love” multicoloured armbands.
They wanted to do this at the World Cup in response to concerns about Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
England and Wales have already declared that they would defy any ban by FIFA, despite the letter from the governing body cautioning against activism during the tournament.
England Women’s international Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot during this summer’s Women’s European Championship, has spoken out against the World Cup being held in the Middle Eastern country.
Arsenal forward Mead, who is openly gay, has said that the Gulf state is not the “right place” for the tournament to be held.
With kick-off at the World Cup coming on November 20, Mead told BBC Radio 4 that she won’t be “backing or promoting” the World Cup due to Qatar’s treatment of LGBTQ+ people and the laws against gay rights.
Under Sharia law, gay people could face up to seven years in prison, if convicted, but the Qatar government has said that these laws will be relaxed during the tournament and that “everyone is welcome.”
Mead told the radio show: “It’s disappointing in the sense there’s no respect on a lot of levels, even though it’s a game of football.
“Although I’m cheering for the boys who are going to play football there, from the minute it was announced I thought it wasn’t the best idea.”
The U.S. starts against Wales on November 21. That’s followed by games against England on November 25 and then Iran on November 29. With the top two teams in the group progressing to the knockout stages.
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