Portuguese international footballer Bruno Fernandes has become the latest player to criticise “that which surrounds” the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, making reference to the deaths of 6500 workers during the construction of stadiums.
Fernandes, speaking on behalf of his team, said that “we know what surrounds the World Cup, what has emerged in recent weeks, months, about the people who died in the construction of the stadiums. We are not happy about it at all.”
The Manchester United midfielder was interviewed after his final club game before the World Cup and also added that it was “strange” for a World Cup to be played in the winter and said that in his view “it is not the best time for either players or fans”.
By speaking out about his opposition to certain aspects of the Qatar world cup, Fernandes has marked himself out given that until this point there has been little public comment on the controversy from members of the Portuguese team.
As reported by Público, over recent years, numerous organisations and institutions have also criticised Qatar’s treatment of LGBTQI+ people. Several teams, such as Denmark, Australia and the USA, have taken active stances in both calling for the respect of LGBTQI+ people during the event and also for the protection of migrants.
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