Lionesses legend Beth Mead has said it is "disappointing" that the men's World Cup will be held in Qatar this month.
The upcoming tournament has been mired in controversy owing to the Gulf state's stringent laws which mean homosexuality can be punishable by death. Mead, who is openly gay and in a relationship with fellow Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema, is the latest name to condemn FIFA's choice of location.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, the 27-year-old said that "money talks" but Qatar's stance on human rights is "the complete opposite" to her own beliefs.
"It's not something I will be backing or promoting. It's disappointing in the sense that there's no respect on a lot of levels, even though it's a game of football," Mead said.
Mead, who finished second in this year's Ballon D'or standings, added: "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."
Qatar adheres to strict Muslim laws, with punishments for homosexuality including fines, prison sentences of up to seven years and even death by stoning. The World Cup host has also been slammed for its treatment of the migrant workers employed to build stadiums, with reports claiming as many 6,500 workers from the Asian subcontinent had died working on construction projects for the event.
Last week, Australia became the first World Cup team to publicly hit out at Qatar’s human rights record. Their stark video message warned the “suffering” felt by workers and their families caused by the tournament “cannot be ignored” and called for the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships.
Peaceful protests have been planned by other nations with England's Harry Kane and nine other captains set to wear 'One Love' armbands. Qatar's World Cup chief, Nasser al Khater, has said that no-one will be discriminated against at the tournament but stressed the government would not change its laws on homosexuality and asked visitors to "respect" Qatari culture".
Reflecting on not feeling the need to publicly 'come out' with girlfriend Miedema, the England forward said: "We've made it the norm from day one," she said. "We haven't felt the need to come out and give a statement of who we're with and what we're doing, we've just classed it as normal life.
"If I want to put a picture of me and Viv on my Instagram, I do but I don't caption it: 'This is my girlfriend, this is what we're doing.' In the men's game they feel they have to make a statement of the situation. It's been a culture, and that culture needs to shift."
NEW! Our Year: European Champions 2022 - The Official England Winners Book
With a foreword by England manager Sarina Wiegman, this is the only official book of the historic triumph, reliving every kick of a thrilling tournament and telling the stories of the players who made it all happen.
Order from reachsportshop.com/https://reachsportshop.com/book/our-year-european-champion-2022/
