Gareth’s fears for LGBT fans

GARETH SOUTHGATE fears that LGBT fans are unlikely to travel to Qatar for the World Cup later this year because they feel unwelcome in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

The England manager is set to brief his team with other FA executives on humanrights issues in Qatar as they prepare for international friendlies this week, which is part of the build-up to November’s World

Cup in the Middle Eastern state.

Southgate’s team have become involved in human rights and political issues under his leadership, taking the knee before games to highlight the fight against racism and raising money for the NHS during the pandemic.

The England manager says that speaking out about LGBT and workers’ rights in Qatar would be natural progression of those stances as it fits the broader values that this English team hold.

Southgate said: ‘I found the human rights issues quite overwhelming to piece together.

But I think I’m quite clear on the areas of concern about this tournament. The building of the stadiums was the first and there’s nothing we can do about that now. There are ongoing concerns about workers’ rights and the conditions they live in. It seems widely accepted that’s better than it was but not in the position where people think it could be and that maybe policies that have been put in place are not enforced as they might be.

‘Then there are the issues that potentially threaten our fans when they travel: the rights of women and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in particular. Sadly, through discussions that I’ve had, I don’t think some of those communities will go.

‘We stand for inclusivity and it would be horrible to think some of our fans feel they can’t go because they feel threatened or they’re worried about their safety.’