ENGLAND STARS CAN SHINE A LIGHT ON CRUELTY IN QATAR
GARETH SOUTHGATE did not suggest he is better off ‘just sticking to the football’.
At least the England manager showed he is aware of the many social issues surrounding World Cup 2022.
And fair play to him for talking about them. Sometimes, he probably wishes he could just greet a press conference like Mike Bassett to announce: “Ladies and gentleman, England will be playing four, four, f ****** two.”
And just leave it at that.
Instead, today’s national coach has to be across all manner of subjects.
It is like no other football job. Ahead of next week’s friendlies, Southgate has been talking about discrimination in Qatar and said: “There are issues that potentially threaten our fans when they travel – the rights of women and the sights of the LGBTQ+ community in particular.
“Through discussions I’ve had, I don’t think some of those communities are going to go and that’s a great shame.”
Good on Gareth that he is eloquent – if guarded – on the matter, and good on Gareth that he intends to speak to his squad about it when they get together this week.
Let’s be realistic here. As much as some people find the staging of the World Cup in Qatar to be wrong, England – and every other nation who has qualified – are going.
But once they are there, they can make their voices heard.
I am in Bahrain right now, and Lewis Hamilton is here because it is his job and his team have agreed to race here. But on Friday morning, that did not stop him from talking about the plight of political prisoners in Bahrain.
Or about the plight of refugees from Ukraine, Syria and Yemen.
Or about the lack of diversity in his sport.
And when Qatar hosted its first Grand Prix last year, he wore a rainbow-coloured helmet for the race weekend.
There’s a thought. Perhaps the England squad, when they have their meetings this week, might consider digging out those rainbow laces that come out once a domestic season.
Wonder how that would go down with FIFA?
Hamilton often talks about having a platform to make a difference, no matter how slight – and the importance of using it.
As representatives of such a high-profile footballing nation, England’s players have that platform. If they are not comfortable with it, then fine. It is not an obligation for players – who are followed by so many – to speak out about social and political injustices away from the game.
Not an obligation at all – but this year provides an opportunity... and let’s hope some of them will take it.