England lose on penalties!
... but don’t worry it was only a kickabout with some of the workers who built the stadiums
IT has been a painful part of football at major tournaments for England’s stars for decades.
But yesterday losing a penalty shootout was shrugged off with a smile
England, who lost the European championship final to Italy on penalties last year, were defeated on spot-kicks once more – but this time went down to a team of migrant workers in Qatar. Captain Harry Kane and fellow millionaire players enjoyed a light-hearted kickabout with some of the workers who built the Gulf state’s World Cup stadiums.
They had invited the group to their Al Wakra training ground to highlight their plight after it was claimed thousands may have died on construction sites.
However, the event was hijacked by Qatar’s ‘Supreme Committee’ which arranged for hand-picked migrants to attend the session. They had nothing but glowing praise for the government when they spoke afterwards.
England heroes Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jordan Pickford were among 15 players led on to the pitch by manager Gareth Southgate. During the good-natured 40minute game, they passed the ball around before the migrants cruised to an easy victory on penalties. There were laughs and cheers as the two teams posed for photos before the England squad signed shirts and mini-footballs as souvenirs. Workers also received tickets for England’s first match of the tournament – against Iran on Monday. The team’s invitation to the migrants appeared to be an act of defiance after the sport’s governing body Fifa urged World Cup teams to ‘focus on the football’ and not ‘political battles’.
Southgate – who flew with his team to Qatar aboard a gay pridethemed jet – vowed they would not be ‘swayed’ from speaking out about causes important to them.
England defender Conor Coady said yesterday the squad had discussed migrant worker and gay rights in Qatar, insisting: ‘We will respect this country, but we believe in football for all. We want all supporters to come here – they push us and drive us. We respect everything in Qatar, but we stand for what we stand for.’ He said it was important to meet the workers, adding: ‘It is something we really wanted to do.
‘We are not politicians, but it shows what you can do as England players to help people.’
It later turned out that the event was in fact organised by Fifa and the Qatar authorities – with the migrants picked by the government’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. After the match, Uzair Murtaza, 31, a construction health and safety manager, gushed: ‘This is a lifetime opportunity. Thanks so much to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for providing us this opportunity to meet our international heroes. I met Harry Kane and [Raheem] Sterling. I said to them best wishes and best of luck.’ Mr Murtaza, from Pakistan, said: ‘I played a very tiny role in building this tournament and I hope it is one of the greatest tournaments in world history.’
Asked about workers who have died, he said construction site injuries were a ‘part of life’ and added: ‘The Supreme Committee really take care of the welfare of all the workers. I think Qatar did a very fantastic job.’
Ashlin Rafael Jacob, 27, an electrician who worked on stadiums for three years, said he was unaware of any injuries or deaths, insisting: ‘There are good conditions. It is very nice. It is very safe.’ Official Qatari statistics show that just three workers died while working on the stadiums and tournament infrastructure.
But an investigation by the Mail revealed that the deaths of 2,823 working-age foreigners have been recorded as unexplained since the £6.5billion building blitz began in 2011. It is feared the true death toll may exceed 6,000. Many migrants are said to earn under £20 a day. But Qatar insists its commitment to worker welfare has resulted in significant improvements.
Meanwhile, security guards were yesterday patrolling outside the England camp on camels. The 14strong ‘ sand squad’ trotted around the hotel. It is part of a ring of steel around the five-star Souq Al Wakra, which has police guards stationed every 20 yards and a patrol boat offshore.
The camel police, in traditional white robes, are similar to the security force used to guard the Emir of Qatar.
‘Act of defiance against Fifa bosses’