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The Australian national football team "Socceroos" in a friendly against New Zealand last week
Photo: Dan Peled/AP
The Australian national team condemned the human rights violations in Qatar just over three weeks before the start of the soccer World Cup.
The exploitation of migrant workers during the construction of the stadium "cannot be ignored," said a statement from the Australian Football Association, which is accompanied by a short video of 16 Socceroos players.
Football Australia urged Qatar to legalize same-sex marriage.
Australia are the first participating team to criticize the host country in this form.
The players adopt a cautious tone, saying that while they are not experts in the field, they have listened to numerous NGOs and human rights organizations.
It continued, "We recognize the significant progress and legislative reforms that have taken place in Qatar in recent years to recognize and protect workers' rights, and we encourage all stakeholders to continue on this path of reform."
Emir of Qatar labeled criticism a 'campaign'
The awarding of the World Cup to Qatar has been criticized for years.
First of all, it was about the bribes that are said to have flowed in the vote in 2010.
Then there was the environmental aspect, as the finals had to be postponed to winter due to the climate.
In recent years, the focus has been on the human rights situation, the situation of guest workers and the conditions for LGBT people.
The Emir of Qatar had castigated the ongoing criticism of the host of the upcoming tournament (November 20 to December 18) as an "unprecedented campaign" including "fiction and double standards".
In a televised speech, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani lamented that no host of the finals had been attacked so severely.
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