Ten European football federations, including Portugal’s, say “human rights are universal and apply everywhere” after FIFA urged countries participating in the World Cup in Qatar to “focus on football now”.
“We recognize and welcome, as we have done in the past, that Qatar has made significant progress, particularly with regard to migrant workers’ rights, with the impact of legislative changes being demonstrated in recent International Labor Organization reports.”, can be read in the note from the federations.
The joint statement by members of the UEFA Working Group on Human and Labor Rights recognizes the “significant progress” Qatar has made but says it would “continue to push” FIFA for answers to outstanding issues surrounding migrant workers – the Migrant Workers Compensation Fund. workers and the establishment of a center for migrant workers in Doha.
“We welcome the assurances from the Qatari government and FIFA regarding the safety, security and inclusion of all fans traveling to the World Cup, including LGBTQ+ fans. We also recognize that all countries have problems and challenges and we agree with FIFA that diversity is a strength.” refers to the declaration.
“However, embracing diversity and tolerance also means supporting human rights. Human rights are universal and apply everywhere.”
The letter sent by FIFA last week, signed by President Gianni Infantino and General Secretary Fatma Samoura, called for football not to “drag” into ideological or political “battles” and not to “teach moral lessons”.
In addition to Portugal, the federations of Germany, Belgium, Denmark, England, Norway, Wales, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland sign the declaration.
Source: DN
