England manager Gareth Southgate won't be gagged from speaking about human rights issues in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup - despite FIFA telling nations to focus on football.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently penned a letter to all 32 countries competing in the controversial tournament, urging them to "let football take the stage." But England boss Southgate has issued a firm response to football's global governing body, having been asked shortly after he named his final squad for the World Cup on Thursday if the Three Lions would comply with FIFA's plea.
"I think that's highly unlikely," Southgate, 52, told reporters at St George's Park. "Contrary to one or two observations in the last few weeks we have spoken about the human rights challenges and been very clear on our standpoint.
"We would also like to focus primarily on the football – this is a carnival of football, a thing you work for your whole life. You don't want that to be diminished by everything else that's going on around it but we recognise we are going to be in that situation."
Qatar's appalling human rights record has shrouded this year's World Cup in controversy, with important topics such as LGBTQ+ acceptance and migrant workers' rights coming to the fore in the lead-up to the tournament.
Former Qatari footballer Khalid Salman, an ambassador for the World Cup, recently told German broadcaster ZDF: "[Other nations] have to accept our rules here. [Homosexuality] is haram. You know what haram [forbidden] means?" Asked why it's forbidden before being promptly cut off by an official, Mr Salman said: "I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind."
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Southgate had to be focussed on football this Thursday when confirming the 26 players who'll represent England in Qatar after weeks of debate over who'd get the nod. The Three Lions boss called up James Maddison and Callum Wilson amid clamour for their inclusions but also left out Tammy Abraham and James Ward-Prowse, who've been staples of the national setup over the past year.
"We've wanted to make sure the balance of the squad is right," Southgate explained. "I think the squad is more important than ever. With five substitutes you can have almost half the team changed during the game so you want different options for different moments of matches and stages at the tournament as well.
"We've had to cover a couple of players that aren't yet fully fit, so having 26 available meant we were probably able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23, but we think the balance is there and we've got cover in the positions we need. We're lighter on depth in some positions than others but we think we've got everything covered."
