Gareth Southgate insists England will 'educate themselves' over Qatar human rights issues
By Tom Gott
England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that the players and staff will 'take time' to learn about the human rights issues in Qatar after sealing their spot at the 2022 World Cup.
The Three Lions needed just a point from Monday's meeting with San Marino to guarantee a place in the competition, but ran riot to the tune of a 10-0 victory to end qualification as Europe's highest goal scorers.
Other nations, including Germany, Norway and the Netherlands, have held on-field protests against Qatar and the country's awarding of the World Cup, and with England's focus now solely on the tournament, Southgate insisted that they will do more research on the issues to better inform themselves.
“I’ve been in some conversations as part of an FA delegation with people from Qatar,” Southgate said (via the Evening Standard). “So I’ve been trying to get a better understanding of exactly the situation. I think we’ll obviously take the time to inform the players a bit more about what’s going on.
“We have to be certain on who we should be speaking to, and exactly what issues are important, because it feels as if there are a lot. And it’s a very complicated situation for us. Because we obviously have to go and work with people, and represent the country in a foreign land, and when you’re doing that you’ve got to be 100% sure of your facts when you’re speaking. And that’s not easy at the moment, because it’s hard to work through what’s current, what’s present, what’s historic.
“We have a responsibility to represent our country in the right way. There are clear cultural differences between the two nations. And also we, as a nation, do a lot of business with Qatar as well. I was reading about Rolls Royce, 10,000 new jobs, heavy investment from Qatar into green machinery and a way of working. So it is hugely complex.
“But we will take the time to educate ourselves. And if we feel that there are areas that we can highlight and help, then clearly we’ve always tried to do that, and we would do that.”
Southgate's comments come as Amnesty International urged England to make a stand against Qatar's human rights issues before the tournament.
"The exploitation of Qatar's massive migrant workforce has already cast a dark shadow over next year's World Cup," said Amnesty International UK's chief executive Sacha Deshmukh (via BBC Sport).
"The Football Association ought to use the remaining year until kick-off to push for lasting labour reforms in Qatar. It is part of the UEFA Working Group on Workers' Rights in Qatar and can press the Doha authorities over strengthening migrant worker protections, investigating worker deaths and helping to fashion a tournament with a genuinely positive legacy.
"It's more important than ever that England's coaching staff, players and supporters raise human rights issues ahead of next year's kick-off."