In 24 days, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar.
In a joint statement, Australia’s players criticized the host country’s laws on LGBT people and the treatment of migrant workers.
– The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar led to the suffering and injury of countless of our colleagues, as the national team players say in video.
16 players from the Australian national team appeared in a video statement where they publicly criticize Qatar.
They talk about the host country’s violation of human rights and that homosexuality is illegal.
– We fully support LGBT rights, but in Qatar people are not free to love whoever they want, midfielder Dennis Genro said in the statement.
– The decision to host the World Cup in Qatar led to the suffering and injury of countless of our colleagues, says midfielder Jackson Ervin.
Want to decriminalize homosexuality?
The players say that the development in Qatar is going in the right direction, but they are calling on the state to introduce a series of measures to improve it.
Includes a resource center for immigrants, effective remedies for those who have been denied rights, and the decriminalization of same-sex relations. These are basic rights that everyone should have, says Irvine.
Earlier this week, activist Peter Tatchell was arrested in Qatar for organizing the country’s first gay protest.
Australia is the first national team to come out with a collective protest against Qatar.
Australia is part of the same World Cup group as France, Denmark and Tunisia.