Amnesty International calls for England players and staff to shine light on Qatar human-rights concerns
Martyn Ziegler, Chief Sports Reporter
Tuesday November 16 2021, 12.01am, The Times
The England players had said that they would wait until qualification was confirmed before deciding on any action
JONATHAN MOSCROP/GETTY IMAGES
Amnesty International has said that it is "more important than ever" for England's players and staff to use their position to raise human-rights concerns about Qatar after securing qualification for next year's World Cup.
Qatar's progress on human rights has "stagnated" over the past year and old abusive practices have resurfaced, according to a new report from Amnesty, Reality Check 2021.
The 48-page report states that elements of the kafala system — which binds migrant workers to their employer — remain at some companies, despite law changes. Qatar's population has risen by nearly 40 per cent since it won the World Cup bid in 2010, to 2.67 million, of which 2.1 million are migrant workers, with 1 million of those having arrived in the past