(Football news) FIFA has written to teams competing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, asking them to focus on the tournament rather than dragging football "into every ideological or political battle that exists". The letter has been written by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the governing body's secretary general Fatma Samoura has been distributed amongst the teams amidst pressure being piled on athletes by external factors to be activists at the upcoming World Cup.
The 2022 World Cup has been marred with controversy due to alleged bribes being taken by FIFA for the tournament to be held in Qatar combined with the country’s human rights record and laws that criminalise same-sex relations. Moreover, with temperatures rising during the summer months in Qatar, the World Cup was moved to the winter months, thereby disrupting the domestic seasons across the world. The letter comes after England and Wales along with six other nations have committed to wearing "One Love" multicoloured armbands at the World Cup as protest against Qatar’s anti LGBTQ+ laws.
In the letter, Gianni Infantino wrote “At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world. One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity. No one person or culture or nation is 'better' than any other. This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination. And this is also one of the core values of football. So, please let's all remember that and let football take centre stage."
The last English team to play in Qatar was Liverpool at the 2019 Club World Cup, after which manager Jurgen Klopp said that it was “not fair” to expect political statements from players around the World Cup. The German manager said “They go there to play football. It's not about this generation's players to say now that 'we don't go, or we don't do that'. The decision [to hold the tournament in Qatar] was made by other people, and if you want to criticise anybody, criticise the people who made the decision."
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