England and Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy has said she will not watch the men’s World Cup because of Qatar’s laws which make homosexuality punishable by death.
Wubben-Moy said she would support the England men’s team in the tournament, which begins in less than two weeks’ time, but will keep her television turned off amid the controversy surrounding Qatar’s staging of the showpiece event.
‘It’s tough,’ the 23-year-old said. “As an England team we all have strong values. And a lot of those values aren’t reflected in the way that we see it in Qatar. I think it’s a tough conversation to have and there’s a lot of dialogue around it.
‘I personally will be supporting the men’s team, but I won’t be watching. I think it’s hard to talk about. But at the end of the day, we’re one team here at England and we know that they have an opportunity to play at a World Cup. It’s hard to look beyond that really.’
Last week, FIFA reportedly wrote to participating nations urging them to ‘focus on the football’ but the Football Association joined nine other national governing bodies from across Europe in responding over the weekend by saying they would advocate for human rights.
And Wubben-Moy believes it is right that sport and politics are not separated.
‘Sport is a very strong vehicle for change,” she said. “To underestimate that would be naive, I think. I’ve seen a lot of the players have strong viewpoints and I salute them and I wish them the best in looking to express that throughout this World Cup.
‘It’s a World Cup and, for a lot of these players, they might not ever play in a World Cup again, so I can’t comment on them choosing to go because many people would take that same choice as well.
‘But I think sport is very strong for change and in any way possible that they can use this opportunity to help bring about change, I think that’s important.’
Wubben-Moy’s stance chimes with that of her Arsenal and England teammate Beth Mead who last week admitted she also felt uneasy at the prospect of the tournament being held in Qatar.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, the 27-year-old said: ‘It’s not something I will be backing or promoting.
‘It’s disappointing in the sense there’s no respect on a lot of levels, even though it’s a game of football.’ Qatar, which follows strict Muslim laws, has been criticised about its stance on same-sex relationships and human rights issues.’
Mead, player of the tournament and Golden Boot winner when England won the Euros this summer, added: ‘Although I’m cheering for the boys who are going to play football there, from the minute it was announced I thought it wasn’t the best idea.’
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