Gareth Southgate says the England dressing room would be ‘totally supportive’ of a gay footballer – Daily Mail
Gareth Southgate believes his England dressing room would be ‘totally supportive’ of a gay footballer in their ranks and would ‘go give them a hug.
Southgate is preparing to take the Three Lions to Qatar later this month for the World Cup, and while England are among the favorites to lift the Cup, human rights issues in the host country have clouded what should be a celebratory affair.
Homosexuality is banned in the country and can lead to a jail sentence of up to seven years, while thousands of foreign workers have allegedly died whilst building the stadiums that the tournament will take place in.
And while FIFA leadership has told teams to ‘focus on football’ during the tournament, Southgate evidently does not share that perspective.
‘If we can shine a light on things that we think could be different and could improve, then I think we have a responsibility to do that,’ he said in an interview with German publication WELT.
Gareth Southgate has backed his England players to ‘shine a light’ on important issues
‘In the end human beings will be judged on the impact we had on society, how we treated people.
‘Of course, in football, people will be judged on trophies & medals & success, but probably somewhere in between all of that is where you’d like to be.’
England plan on making a stand against homophobia during the tournament, as captain Harry Kane is set to wear a OneLove rainbow armband – even though FIFA has yet to approve the plan.
As Sportsmail previously reported, England and Wales will employ the armbands despite facing a fine for breaking a ban on political activities.
The FA are determined for Harry Kane to wear a OneLove armband despite a potential ban
The OneLove campaign will feature participation from eight other European countries – including Germany and France – and will aim to promote inclusion and oppose discrimination during the World Cup.
Qatari officials have insisted members of the LGBTQ+ community will be welcome at the World Cup, though the nation has refused to change its laws ahead of the tournament.
Qatar World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater urged those attending the event to be respectful of the local culture.
England will be looking to go one further in the World Cup after losing in the finals of the Euros last year
‘At the end of the day, as long as you don’t do anything that harms other people, if you’re not destroying public property, as long as you’re behaving in a way that’s not harmful, then everybody’s welcome and you have nothing to worry about,’ he told Sky News.
‘From what I understand, there are discussions taking place about the different political messages that are going to be.
‘This is a sporting tournament that people want to come and enjoy. Turning it into a platform of political statements I don’t think is right for the sport.’
The FA are seeking clarification on how gay fans will be treated during the tournament, and – along with other European countries – are planning a robust response to FIFA after being told by president Gianni Infantino to stick to talking about football during the World Cup.
Separately, Gary Lineker has said he knows of two Premier League players who are gay and said it would be ‘amazing if they came out during the World Cup.’
England began their tournament on November 21 vs. Iran.