The Portuguese international soccer player Bruno Fernandes criticized this Sunday “what surrounds” the World Cup in Qatar 2022, for which he is summoned, remembering the workers who died in the construction of stadiums in that country.
“We know what surrounds the World Cup, what has emerged in the last weeks, months, about the people who died in the construction of the stadiums. We are not at all happy with that,” said the midfielder, in a flash interview. from Sky Sports.
Fernandes, captain of Manchester United and one of the greatest figures of the Portuguese team, 28 years old, with 48 appearances with the AA and nine goals, spoke after the victory of the red devils at home against Fulham (2-1) , directed by the Portuguese Marco Silva.
For the midfielder, it is also “strange” that the World Cup is held in winter, in the middle of the club championship, and he considered that “it is not the best time for the players or for the fans.”
“The children will be at school, people will be working and the hours are not the best to be able to watch the games,” he added.
According to Fernandes, whose position against human rights abuses on Qatari soil makes a difference in the Portuguese team, which until now had not had such a forceful demonstration, a World Cup “is more than football.”
“It’s a party, both for the fans and the players, something that’s a joy to watch, and it should be done better. […] We want football to be for everyone, everyone has to be included and involved in a World Cup, because a World Cup belongs to the world. For everyone, no matter who. These things should never happen.”
Although the Qatari authorities deny it, several organizations point to thousands of deaths in that country between 2010 and 2019 in work related to the World Cup, with a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, from February this year, citing the figure at 6,500. deaths, a figure that many consider conservative.
In recent years, numerous organizations and institutions have also called for the defense of the rights of supporters, and others, belonging to the LGBTQI+ community, taking into account the persecution they suffer on Qatari soil.
Several national teams, such as Denmark, Australia or the United States, have taken an active position against abuse or in favor of the inclusion and protection of both migrants and the LGBTQI+ community, both those who live in the country and those who They intend to travel to observe. the games.
In May, six months after the start of the competition, Amnesty International signed an open letter addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, together with associations such as Human Rights Watch, asking him to invest the same amount of the prize money awarded to the national team teams by tournament performance in a compensation mechanism.
The Men’s Soccer World Cup will be held between November 20 and December 18, with the Portuguese team classified and inserted in Group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea.
Source: TSF
