The letter from FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary-General Fatma Samoura follows a number of protests made by World Cup teams on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers, who have been vital in constructing World Cup facilities.

“At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world,” Infantino and Samoura wrote. “Please, let’s now focus on the football!”

The Australian national team recently released a video criticising Qatar for its human rights record and calling for the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships, which are strictly prohibited in Qatar.

The tournament’s organisers praised the Australian players for “using their platforms to raise awareness for important matters”. Still, they added, “No country is perfect, and every country – hosts of major events or not – has its challenges.”

The captains of nine teams will wear rainbow armbands to support the LGBTQ community.

World Cup organisers have said everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome while also warning against public displays of affection.

Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp recently stated that he believed it was “not fair” to expect players to make political statements. “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,” he said.

In a recent television interview, the German minister for sport, Nancy Faeser, appeared to question whether Qatar should stage the tournament due to the alleged mistreatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ community.

She later said her remarks had been “misinterpreted“, adding, “It is important to support the country of Qatar in groundbreaking reforms.”

advanceDNA:
@Flamemignon1

I know your people wont listen...... they will go amd form victim as usual.....

lhordspy:
The world is going crazy surely.
Gays are now threatening a global tournament like worldcup NOT because they are stopped from attending. But because they are warned against kissing or smooching in public in the host country. Subhannallahi

It is even more funnier that FIFA is suddenly growing the moral justification and spirit of neutrality to preach about teams focus on football and not driving football into politics.

The same FIFA that has been turning blind eye to happenings in Isreal-Palestinian but ban Russia from playing at the worldcup, on influence by the west?

The same FIFA that has been bastardized and politicised to the extent that a ukranian team is now having the effontery to tell them to ban this one, ban that one. Replace them with this one.

Who allowed all these stupid gay right ideology into soccer in the first place? Is it not same FIFA. Now this guys are now having the guts to be threatening to disrupt a global tournament if they are not allowed to display their public affection in public like ' two men Kissing' , or 'two women smooching' each other in full display of the public. Calling and tagging it an infringement on their human right. In another person's country for pete sake!


Who else noticed during champions league games, Pepsi is now advertising with two-female kissing each other? who else noticed it?

This world is done. The west with its silly free right and its long-influence to get anything done their way, is successfully ruining this world.

Teaser4:
Nah Western countries dem dey talk to, I hope they listen sha, cos dem too get wella….