Gareth Southgate has concerns that England’s LGBT fans are unlikely to travel to World Cup

Gareth Southgate fears LGBT England fans are unlikely to travel to Qatar for the World Cup because they feel unwelcome in a country where homosexuality is illegal.

The England manager is preparing to brief his team with other FA executives on human rights issues in Qatar as they prepare for international friendlies this week, part of the build-up to November’s tournament.

Southgate’s team have increasingly become involved in human rights and political issues under his leadership, taking the knee before games to highlight the fight against racism and raising money for the NHS during the pandemic.

And the England manager says speaking out about LGBT and workers’ rights in Qatar would be a natural progression of those stances, as it fits the broader values that his team hold.

Southgate said: ‘I found the human rights issues quite overwhelming to piece together. But I think I’m quite clear on the areas of concern about this tournament.

‘The building of the stadiums was the first and there’s nothing we can do about that now. There are obviously ongoing concerns about the rights of workers and the conditions they live in. 

‘It seems universally accepted that’s better than it was but not in the position where people think it could be and that maybe policies that have been put in place are not always enforced as they might be.

‘Then there are the issues that potentially threaten our fans when they travel: the rights of women and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in particular. Sadly, through discussions that I’ve had, I don’t think some of those communities are going to go and that’s a great shame.

‘We stand for inclusivity as a team — that’s been the big driver of a lot of the stances we’ve taken in the last couple of years — and it would be horrible to think some of our fans feel they can’t go because they feel threatened or they’re worried about their safety. 

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, which could lead to LGBT supporters deciding not to attend

‘So there needs to be some clarity and some better communication that they are going to be safe, because they’re not feeling that.

‘What we’re going to try to do with the players is highlight that we think those are going to be the key areas. I think we’ve got to prepare (the players) the best we can to make the best possible decisions that they can. But we can get a feel of where those issues are.

‘I don’t think it’s something where we’re just going to be able to come out with a statement that will satisfy everything. We feel the World Cup is an opportunity to highlight some of these issues and we have a platform to be able to do that.

Southgate and the FA have been in talks with major human rights groups over key issues

‘We’ve also got to do that in a responsible way. It’s going to be complicated. And I think we’re going to get some criticism whatever we do, but we’re going to try to do the best that we can.’

Southgate and the FA have been in talks with major human rights groups and are aware that one of the key concerns is over deaths of workers whilst constructing World Cup infrastructure that were not classified as industrial deaths because full post mortems were not completed, meaning impoverished families without a breadwinner have been denied compensation.

Southgate said: ‘I am aware of those issues regarding compensation. Despite contradictory reports, there are lots of conversations with organisations like Amnesty so it’s not correct when they say discussions aren’t taking place.

‘We’re trying to do the best we can. We have a group of players who recognise the platform they have and want to make a difference where they can.’

He added: ‘Maybe there are some things that we can affect. If we can and we think they’re worthwhile, then we’ll try to do that.’