Gareth Southgate has said he does not know what any boycott of the World Cup in Qatar by England would achieve.
Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup caused huge controversy when it was announced, and it has not died down.
With the World Cup looming large on the horizon, Qatar’s record on human rights as well as its use of migrant labour are big talking points.
Southgate is aware of the issues, but seemed to suggest any boycott would not achieve anything.
“I don’t really know what that achieves,” the England coach said when asked about a possible boycott by England. “It would be a big story, but the tournament would go ahead.
“The fact, unfortunately, is the biggest issue, which is non-religious and non-cultural, is what happened with the building of the stadiums and there is nothing we can do about that either, sadly.
“We have known for eight years that this is going to be in Qatar. Is the stance against Qatar as a country? We are intertwined, as we are seeing with Russia, with all sorts of investment in this country.
“This is complicated. The issues themselves aren’t complicated; all the repercussions of diplomatic relations and dealing with other countries and other organisations are extremely complicated.”
Southgate and his players have held sessions to discuss the issues in Qatar, and says they will take time to fashion their stance.
“The players are thinking through how they best respond and try to affect the things we might be able to affect,” he said.
“There are things that are cultural and religious that are going to be difficult to affect and change, but there is an opportunity to use our platform in a positive way,
without a doubt.
“There is a long period to do that, so I don’t think we should rush into that. I don’t think the players feel they could rush something and come to the wrong conclusion or idea.
“Whatever we do we are going to be criticised, but we are going to try and do our best. There are going to be things ongoing throughout the year.
“The players have stepped up to the plate enormously on various issues. We’ve got to use our voice in the right way and at the right time.”
England’s preparations for the World Cup continue with friendlies against Switzerland on Saturday and Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
