Australia has become the first World Cup finals side to release a collective statement from players criticising host Qatar’s human rights record. Some 16 players, including ex-Arsenal and Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan, appear in the video in which they draw issue with the country’s treatment of migrants workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
“There are universal values that should define football. Values such as respect, dignity, trust and courage,” skipper Ryan said in his section of the statement. “When we represent our nation, we aspire to embody these values.”
Same-sex relationships are criminalised in the Gulf state. Accusations over the treatment of migrant workers and a poor record of human rights have plagued it since it was controversially awarded this winter’s finals back in 2010.
