Kane to wave Qatar’s human rights record in its face with World Cup armband logo
HARRY KANE, England’s captain, will wear a multicoloured anti-discrimination armband at the World Cup, as the Football Association joins other European nations to take a stand against prejudice in Qatar.
The move risks fuelling tensions with Fifa and Qatar, along with a demand for a compensation fund for the families of migrant workers injured or killed in the construction of stadia for the contest.
Kane will be joined by the captains of the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales to wear the band for the “Onelove” campaign.
The countries who have qualified for Qatar have collectively sent a request to Fifa to wear the band, which contains colours representing all backgrounds.
The world governing body prohibits teams from bringing their own armband designs to the World Cup. All equipment must be provided by Fifa.
Qatar has been criticised by human rights groups over deaths on construction sites for tournament infrastructure. There have also been societal concerns over the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and women in the Arab state.
Amnesty International and other groups have called for Fifa to set aside $440million (about £375million) – equal to what they claim is the overall prize fund at the World Cup – to compensate families of thousands of workers either killed or subjected to human rights abuses and unacceptable conditions in the Gulf state. Fifa has said that instead, the companies involved should recompense the affected workers.
Mark Bullingham, the FA’S chief executive, said: “We absolutely agree with the concept of a compensation fund. As to what level that is, it’s hard to say.”
The FA, along with European football’s governing body, Uefa, has committed to visiting Qatar next year to make sure agreed reforms are maintained.
Mr Bullingham said: “Now, our understanding is that the changes being brought through are permanent and there is a lot of support for them on the ground.”
He said the “eyes of the world will remain on the whole region so we expect the changes to continue to be implemented”, adding that many fans will now not travel to Qatar.
The government of Qatar has said its labour system is a work in progress, but denied a 2021 Amnesty report that thousands of migrant workers were being exploited.
Kane will wear the armband in tomorrow’s Nations League match against Italy in Milan and on Monday against Germany.
Sport: Page 8