‘There are universal values that should define football’
Australia have become the first team competing at the World Cup to release a collective statement criticising Qatar’s human rights record.
16 of the country’s players appeared in the video as they took aim at the host nation’s treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
Former Brighton goalkeeper, and Australia captain, Matt Ryan said: “There are universal values that should define football. Values such as respect, dignity, trust and courage.
“When we represent our nation, we aspire to embody these values.”
Australia have become the first nation competing at the World Cup to publicly call out Qatar’s human rights record 👏
“There are universal values that should define football. When we represent our nation, we aspire to embody these values.”pic.twitter.com/85YZNbutKl
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) October 27, 2022
Qatar have been heavily criticised for its treatment of migrant workers, criminalisation of same-sex relationships and its abhorrent human rights record ever since it was awarded the World Cup in 2010.
During the video, several of the players and the president of the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) union, Alex Wilkinson, took turns to give brief statements.
Although they had acknowledged that conditions had improved for workers in Qatar, they noted that the plan being put into effect to ensure improvement remains “inconsistent and requires improvement.”
“We have learned that the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has resulted in the suffering and harm of countless of our fellow workers,” said Socceroos player Jackson Irvine.
Wilkinson then added: “These migrant workers who have suffered are not just numbers.
“Like the migrants that have shaped our country and our football, they possess the same courage and determination to build a better life.”
Australia are in Group D alongside Denmark, France and Tunisia and begin their campaign against Didier Deschamps’ France side on November 22.
