Gareth Southgate believes migrant workers in Qatar are “united” in their desire for the World Cup to go ahead, with the England manager saying that the FA will continue to speak with campaign groups to learn about how they can offer support.
England kick off their tournament in 20 days, with a game against Iran, but as anticipation around the tournament ramps up so does attention on the host country’s human rights record. Since being awarded hosting rights in a controversial vote in 2010, Qatar has been strongly criticised for the conditions thousands of migrant workers have been subjected to and its anti-LGBTQ laws.
Previous investigations, which are denied by Qatar, said that more than 6,000 workers have died during the building of infrastructure of the tournament. Southgate said he would continue to speak out about human rights issues before and during the tournament, but in an interview with CNN he said there was no doubt it should go ahead.
