Jordan Henderson said he was shocked to receive a report detailing human rights abuses committed in Qatar, host of the World Cup. The document was handed over by England manager Gareth Southgate and the federation’s executive director, Mark Bullingham.
“When we received the report it was quite shocking and disappointing,” said the England captain.
“It’s really awful when you look at some of the problems that are currently happening there. As a team, we are digesting this, coming up with ideas of what we want to do going forward. It’s an opportunity to maybe clarify the issues and use our platforms to make changes for the better.”
The abuses are against women, the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers, many responsible for the construction of the 2022 World Cup stadiums.
Henderson also revealed that players had been talking about the situation with Gareth and Mark for about 30 minutes.
World Cup boycott?
Despite his obvious concerns about the human rights scene in Doha, Southgate is convinced that boycotting the first World Cup in the Middle East would not be the best option.
“I really don’t know what it achieves,” he said. “It would be a great story, but the tournament would go on. There are some religious and cultural things that will be very difficult to change, but there is still an opportunity to use our voices and our platform in a positive way,” he said.
“It’s possible [um boicote], but that’s not a decision the players and I can make. I hear multiple versions of this, but my understanding is that the discussions the FA has had with organizations like Amnesty are that they feel there would be more changes if we go and those things are highlighted.”
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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