After the completely black jersey of the Denmark selection, a new opponent of the France team denounces the situation in Qatar, before the Football World Cup, which begins on November 20. Australia, and its national team the Socceroos, published a video on Wednesday, October 26, to point out several issues, which sparked controversy around the country organizing the competition. This position is the first of its kind by a team as an entity, less than a month before the start of the World Cup.
Sixteen members of the selection intervene in turn in this video of just over three minutes, posted by the Australian players’ union, to denounce the non-respect of human and labor rights, and the exploitation of migrant workers. If Australians assume they are not “experts“, “For the past two years, we have been dedicated to understanding and getting to know the situation in Qatar better.” they explain. ” We listened to organizations such as Amnesty International, the International Labor Organization, Fifa and, most importantly, foreign workers in Qatar. There are universal values that should define football such as respect, dignity, confidence and courage. When we represent our nation, we aspire to embody these values.” “It is for these reasons that we have to talk about the situation in Qatar“, they add.
A message from our @Socceroos on the @FIFAWorldCup #SupportingThePlayers pic.twitter.com/bUqW2pne1w
— Professional Footballers Australia (@thepfa) October 26, 2022
“While the reforms implemented in Qatar are an important and welcome step, their application remains inconsistent and requires improvement. We have learned that the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar has led to the pain and injury of countless of our fellow workers. These migrant workers who have suffered are not just numbers. Like the migrants who shaped our country and our football, they had the same courage, and the same determination to build a better life for themselves.“
>> Franceinfo survey – 2022 World Cup: how the FFF looked away from the field of human rights in Qatar
In addition to this video, the Football Federation of Australia jointly released a statement, also calling for respect and tolerance for LGBTI+ communities. “As our nation’s most multicultural, diverse and inclusive sport, we believe everyone should be able to feel safe and free to be themselves.“, said Football Australia. Several selections should see their captain sporting rainbow-colored armbands, with the message “One love”, during the World Cup (France, England, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark. ..).
These two positions come the day after the remarks of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, evoking a campaign “unprecedented” criticism of his country, including “fabrications and double standards“.