Welsh football team staff refuse to attend Qatar World Cup because of country’s anti-gay laws – iNews
Some Welsh national football team staff have opted not travel to the World Cup in Qatar because of the country’s anti-gay laws, an official has revealed.
Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive Neil Mooney said some of his friends and staff members “won’t be travelling” to Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, after the team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1958.
It comes after Uefa’s decision the allow Qatar to host the World Cup has been widely criticised over its abysmal human rights record and alleged treatment of migrant workers who have been employed to build its infrastructure.
More than 24,000 workers have suffered human rights abuses in Qatar while working on seven new stadiums, a new metro system, hotels, roads and an airport, according to a report by Business and Human Rights Resource Centre published in April.
Mr Mooney said the team would use the event as a “platform” to discuss human rights in Qatar, where homosexuality can be punishable by the death penalty – and urged Fifa and Uefa to “think very deeply about their conscience” when choosing host nations.
In an interview with the BBC Politics Wales programme, Mr Mooney explained: “They’re [staff] not going to go to the tournament, which is absolutely their right to do so.
“The vast, vast majority of people will go and understand also our position that it is a platform to try to improve life there and to have good dialogue on issues like human rights… and migrant workers.
“So, we’re looking forward to playing a full part in that and getting clarity on any outstanding issues for travelling supporters.
“The consensus between the [European] Uefa nations is to use it as a platform for improvement and that’s very much what we intend to do.
“We are looking forward to playing a very active role, from the FAW and the Welsh government’s perspective, in airing our views.”
Despite FAW condemning Qatar’s human rights record and anti-gay laws, Mr Mooney said he did not believe it was the “right thing” for the team to boycott the tournament.
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He added the squad hoped to use the World Cup “as a force for good”.
The world’s leading human rights organisation Amnesty International, previously said women and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer or questioning) people “continue to face discrimination in law and practice”.
It has also called on Qatar to cover $440m to cover compensation claims of ‘abused’ migrant workers brought to the country to build World Cup infrastructure.
Some members of the Rainbow Wall, Wales’ official LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, have previously said they will not travel to Qatar to support the team.
Mr Mooney added Rainbow Wall is a “big part of the FAW” and will be the centre of its thoughts as it “plans for this World Cup”.