England won’t desist from human rights issues in Qatar, says Kane

England captain Harry Kane said the Three Lions wouldn’t shy away from human rights issues at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar; instead, they will raise awareness.

Kane revealed that England had a meeting on Monday to discuss the issues posed by Qatar being granted the right to host the World Cup.

Most recently, Southgate raised his concerns about female fans and members of the LGBTQ+ community who may not travel to support England due to rights restrictions in Qatar.

The safety and conditions of migrant workers used to build the stadiums to host the tournament have also been a concern.

“I feel like as a group, we’ve never shied away from important issues, and we’ve always had our opinions,” said Kane, ahead of England’s friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast.

“We’ve always tried to show unity in anything that we’ve done. So that’s what will happen now over this camp and the next camps.

“It’s important to understand that first of all, as players, we didn’t choose where this World Cup was going to be.”

Kane added: “But what it has done is shone a light on important issues that might not have come to light if the World Cup wasn’t there.

“As always, we try and help in any way we can. We try and use our platform to help in any way we can. I understand there’s been some progress on certain issues in the country so far.

“So my hope is that having the World Cup there and having this light on the country will help try and progress some of the issues that have obviously been going on for a long time.”