The Qatar World Cup is kicks off this week, with the host national facing Ecuador in the opening fixture at the Al Bayt Stadium. It will be the first time that a World Cup has kicked off in winter, with the tournament having been moved to December to accommodate for the extreme heat which the Gulf State sees in summer.
On Sunday, following his side's 2-1 win against Fulham, Manchester United and Portugal star Bruno Fernandes expressed his concerns regarding the tournament and its timing. he has made the criticisms amid a request from FIFA to 'focus on the football' in the face of a multitude of criticisms against Qatar.
The gulf state has been subject to criticism ever since the awarding of the tournament, with allegations of corruption in the bidding process. This has been followed by a range of issues, with the most serious surrounding the deaths of migrant workers and the strict laws against LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
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The Guardian has reported in a series of investigations that as many as 6,500 workers have died in Qatar in the construction of infrastructure for the tournament. This is in addition to strict laws on LGBTQ+ rights, with the punishment for homosexuality being up to five years in prison for non-Muslim men engaging in same-sex relationships and the death penalty remaining in place for Muslim men.
Last week, Qatar ambassador Khalid Salman sparked controversy in an interview on German television where he described homosexuality as a 'disease of the mind'.. He told told German broadcaster ZDF: "[Homosexuality] is haram. You know what haram [forbidden] means?
"I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind," This was before the interview was stopped by an press officer who was with the official tournament ambassador.
Such a range of complaints have prompted Fernandes to take a stand, with the United star expressing concerns surrounding the timing of the tournament as well as the inclusivity of the host nation. The United midfielder was being interviewed on Sky Sports following Sunday's Premier League fixture against Fulham.
He told the broadcaster: "It's not exactly the time we want to be playing in the World Cup," Fernandes, 28, added. "I think for everyone, players and fans, it's not the best time. Kids will be at school, people will be working and the timings will not be the best for people to watch the games.
"We want football to be for everyone. Everyone has to be included and involved in a World Cup because a World Cup is the world. It's for everyone, it doesn't matter who. These kind of things I think should not happen at any time.
"But for a World Cup it's more than football, it's a party for fans, players, something that's a joy to watch, and should be done in a better way."
Fernandes is not the only player to have expressed his views on the tournament, with a host of current stars and former players having their say ahead of what is a hugely controversial event.
Here, we take a look at what has been collectively said ahead of the tournament:
Harry Kane
The Tottenham and England captain has spoken about the issues surrounding the tournament when asked to explain his stance on the One Love armband being worn by team captains at the tournament. He will be joined by the captains of Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland in making a stand against laws in the country.,
He answered the question in September ahead of wearing the armband for the first time against Italy in their Nations League encounter. He said: "I had a discussion with Christian (Eriksen), obviously he's not the captain of Denmark but me and Christian had spoken and obviously Hugo (Lloris) at Spurs."
"It's about coming together and I think being together sends a bigger message rather than people doing individual stuff," he added. "I think there's only so much the players can actually do, but I think that by wearing the armband on the biggest stage in the world and one of the most televised events in the world, will have an impact.
"We can only do what we can and I think we have definitely taken a step forward to help some of the issues out there in Qatar."
Philip Lahm
The 2014 World Cup winning Germany captain has spoken extensively about his views on Qatar, with the former Bayern Munich man announcing earlier this year that he would be boycotting the tournament.
He has since elaborated on his views, stating that the tournament is a 'massive mistake' to be hosting the tournament in Qatar. In a column for German paper, Die Zeit, Lahm explained his view, saying: “Awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a mistake,” He added. “It doesn’t belong there.”
“Homosexuals are still criminalised, women do not have the same rights as men, freedom of the press and freedom of expression are restricted,”
“This atmosphere does not interest me as a football fan,” Explaining his stance on the atmosphere at the tournament. “Football is not a popular sport in Qatar, and there is practically no chance for girls to play football,”
Leon Goretzka
In the wake of comments made by Khalid Salman, the Bayern Munich midfielder chose to take a stand against the comments, with the views expressed being widely reported on and criticised in Germany.
The 27-year-old, who is likely to start at the tournament for Hansi Flick's side explained his stance, telling reporters after his club's side's win against Werder Bremen that the comments were 'from a different millennium'.
He told reporters: "It's very oppressive," Goretzka said. "This is an image of a man that comes from another millennium.
"It leaves you speechless that something like this can be said by a World Cup ambassador shortly before a World Cup.".
Jurgen Klopp
The Liverpool manager raised his own concerns regarding the coverage of the tournament earlier this month and commented on journalists' responsibility when it comes to reporting on the tournament.
He also spoke about home managers could not continue to be expected to comment on the situation as the tournament nears closer, with their primary job being a sporting role and not a political one.,
He said: “It’s a tournament, it's there, and we all let it happen and it's fine because 12 years ago nobody did anything then. We cannot change it now” he told the media.
"There are wonderful people there and it's not at all that everything is bad. It's just how it happened was not right in the first place. But now it is there, let them play the games, the players and managers.
“Don’t just put Gareth Southgate constantly in a situation where he has to talk about everything. He is not a politician, he is the manager of England. Let him do that,” .
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