Qatar’s World Cup chief has advised the English and Welsh FAs to concentrate on their groups somewhat than demanding compensation for migrant employees.
In a wide-ranging interview within the capital, Doha, Nasser Al-Khater additionally advised Sky News that enduring criticism of the match may very well be thought-about racist.
He mentioned that:
Gay followers can be welcome to show affection and rainbow flags;
FIFA must determine on captains sporting “One Love” armbands whereas cautioning towards “political messages” by groups;
Special areas can be created for drunken supporters to sober up;
95% of tickets have been bought
The Middle East’s first World Cup opens on 19 November – the fruits of a 12-year journey since Qatar received a widely-tainted FIFA vote.
In that point, Mr Al-Khater has risen to chief govt of the supreme committee overseeing Qatar’s planning and been within the firing line of criticism.
A gaggle of European nations – together with England and Wales – has spent the World Cup build-up highlighting issues concerning the struggling of migrant employees and claimed inadequacies in Qatar’s compensation funding.
Mr Al-Khater advised Sky News: “A lot of people that speak about this issue on workers’ welfare … are not experts in the industry. And they’re not experts in what they’re speaking about.
“And I really feel that they really feel obliged, that they should communicate. I believe they should actually learn and educate themselves just a little bit extra about what’s taking place on the bottom in Qatar.”
Be respectful of the tradition
A UEFA working group on labour rights in Qatar held talks at FIFA HQ in Switzerland on Wednesday.
“So when people come out and say, ‘Yes, we agree that there needs to be some sort of compensation fund’,” Mr Al-Khater mentioned. “They’re just reading off a piece of paper.
“So let’s go away that to the specialists … and allow us to concentrate on soccer. Let the soccer directors concentrate on their groups. And let’s simply go away it at that.”
While World Cup organisers insist there have only been three work-related deaths at stadiums, concerns linger that more migrant workers died on wider infrastructure work across Qatar as every fatality is not fully investigated.
Mr Al-Khater pointed to Qatar improving labour laws and the introduction of a minimum wage.
But Qatar is not prepared to change anti-LGBTQ+ laws to respond to concerns of visiting fans, while insisting none will be discriminated against during the 29-day tournament and that gay fans can hold hands.
“All we ask is for folks to be respectful of the tradition,” Mr Al-Khater said. “At the top of the day, so long as you do not do something that harms different folks, when you’re not destroying public property, so long as you are behaving in a approach that is not dangerous, then everyone’s welcome and you don’t have anything to fret about.”
While Mr Al-Khater has said fans can display rainbow flags, he said “it is a FIFA matter” whether approval is given for England captain Harry Kane and Wales counterpart Gareth Bale to wear multicoloured “One Love” armbands that highlight discrimination.
95% of tickets have been sold
“From what I perceive, there are discussions going down concerning the totally different political messages which might be going to be,” Mr Al-Khater said.
He added: “This is a sporting match that individuals need to come (to) and revel in. Turning it right into a platform of political statements I do not suppose is true for the game.”
Fans will be attending matches in eight new stadiums built around Doha. Accommodation remains available through organisers but 95% of tickets have been sold, Mr Al-Khater said.
To host the World Cup, Qatar has had to open up more areas for the sale of alcohol – including outside stadiums and in fan zones – rather than it remaining restricted to hotel bars.
Mass gatherings of boisterous, drunken supporters is unfamiliar territory for the first Muslim nation to host a World Cup.
Mr Al-Khater said: “There are plans in place for folks to sober up if they have been ingesting excessively.
“It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else.”
Mr Al-Khater sidestepped ongoing issues about whether or not vote-buying secured the World Cup internet hosting rights within the vote in 2010 – feeling Qatar has been unfairly focused typically.
“We’ve taken the challenge upon ourselves and we’ve risen to that challenge,” he mentioned.
Asked if he felt criticism was racist, he responded: “I’m not going to get into what the intentions are of other people, I’m not going to get into the minds and souls of other people.
“But you already know, who is aware of, presumably.”
Source: information.sky.com”