ZURICH: World football federation is being challenged by the captains of at least nine national teams to permit the wearing of rainbow armbands at the World Cup finals in Qatar.
France and Germany, the last two champions, were among eight of the 13 finalists who have joined the “OneLove” campaign, which started in the Netherlands. The Dutch team plays Qatar in Group A on Nov. 29.
FIFA rules prohibit teams from bringing their own armband designs to the World Cup and insist they must use equipment provided by the governing body.
Armbands are the latest battleground for players to push political messages linked to the World Cup hosted in Qatar, where homosexual acts are illegal and the treatment of migrant workers building projects for the tournament has been a decade-long controversy.
England captain Harry Kane said: “I am honoured to join my fellow national team captains in supporting the important OneLove campaign. As captains we may all be competing against each other on the pitch, but we stand together against all forms of discrimination. This is even more relevant at a time when division is common in society.
“Wearing the armband together on behalf of our teams will send a clear message when the world is watching.”
The England squad will also invite migrant workers to the team’s World Cup training base in Al Wakrah to engage with players.
The Football Association has backed calls for compensation to be awarded for “any injury or death related to any construction project” for the World Cup.
It is estimated up to 30,000 migrant labourers have been used on projects to build seven stadiums for the finals in Qatar, as well as a new airport, new metro and new roads.
However, Amnesty International says that since 2010, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have faced human rights abuses while employed to build wider infrastructure necessary to host the tournament, as well as the venues.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “Along with the other members of the UEFA working group on human rights, we are pushing FIFA for an update on the concept of a Migrant Workers’ Centre in Qatar, to provide advice and help for migrant workers,” said
“It is clear that Qatar has brought in progressive legislation in the last few years to give workers rights, so this concept will help this legislation to take effect.
“We have met a variety of workers in Qatar on our visits to the country and, whilst they recognise the substantial progress, there are areas in which further support would make a huge difference.
“We continue to push for the principle of compensation for the families of migrant workers who have lost their lives or have been injured in construction projects.
“Again, we are pushing FIFA for an update on the compensation fund which has been consistently referenced as a safety net where workers and their families have been unable to secure compensation from the construction companies.”
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