Qatar 2022: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says players and managers are 'not politicians'

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Qatar World Cup: Players & managers are not politicians - Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said players and managers are not politicians, amid continued scrutiny implicit the 2022 World Cup.

Host Qatar has been criticised for its stance connected same-sex relationships, its quality rights grounds and its attraction of migrant workers.

Klopp besides says the determination to play the finals determination "was conscionable not right".

"Don't enactment Gareth Southgate perpetually successful a concern wherever helium has to speech astir everything," said Klopp.

"He is not a politician, similar I americium not. He has an sentiment but helium is not a politician."

Fifa has written to each 32 teams competing astatine the World Cup telling them to "now absorption connected the football".

Klopp has added that present helium feels it is clip to "let them conscionable play the games - the players and the managers".

"[Southgate] is the manager of England, fto him bash it, and if you privation to constitute thing other astir it, past bash it," said Klopp.

"But [something] by yourself and not asking america [and writing] 'Klopp said' and 'Southgate said', and each this benignant of worldly arsenic if it would alteration anything."

'Journalists should person done more'

In 2010, Qatar clinched the rights to the World Cup aft winning a ballot of Fifa's 22 enforcement members.

Qatar was accused of paying Fifa officials £3m ($3.7m) successful bribes to unafraid their backing, but was cleared aft a two-year investigation.

At the time, Fifa's then-chairman, Sepp Blatter, supported Qatar's bid, but has since said the organisation whitethorn person made the incorrect decision.

For the archetypal time, the World Cup is not being held successful the summertime due to the fact that of the temperatures successful Qatar astatine that clip of year, and six of the 8 stadiums being utilized had to beryllium built.

Asked if shot radical made the determination for Qatar to triumph the bid, Klopp replied: "Football people? No, they were shot politicians. You mean the Brazilian feline [Ricardo Teixeira]?

"Journalists should person done more. Do you truly deliberation we did capable successful the archetypal place? You are present making a communicative erstwhile it has happened, coming retired of the country and getting the players nether unit with questions.

"If Harry Kane says helium volition deterioration [the armband], the different guys accidental 'please don't marque governmental statements'. It's not OK.

"This was organised by different people, and I don't accidental you fto it hap but we each fto it happen. Everything was connected the table.

"There are fantastic radical determination arsenic good and it is not that everything is bad, but however it happened was conscionable not close successful the archetypal place," Klopp added.

"It was already wide what would hap and present it is 'oh yeah, it is hard to physique a stadium successful Qatar due to the fact that we person to bash it successful their summertime arsenic good and it is 50 degrees'. That's not bully for humans to beryllium extracurricular and bash hard, carnal work.

"There were plentifulness of chances afterwards to say, 'by the way, the process is not right'. A batch of radical took wealth for the incorrect reasons. Nothing changed. How tin that happen?"

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England's Harry Kane and 9 different captains of European teams volition beryllium wearing 'One Love' armbands, to beforehand diverseness and inclusion, and arsenic a connection against discrimination.

Same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised successful Qatar.

The England squad has present been asked to consider making a "display oregon motion of solidarity with Iranian women warring for their civilian liberties" erstwhile the 2 countries conscionable successful their opening lucifer astatine the World Cup connected 21 November.

Klopp added that "it's a tourney and players spell determination and bash their champion for their countries".

"I ticker it from a shot constituent of presumption and I don't similar the information that the players, from clip to time, get successful a concern wherever they person to nonstop a message," helium said.

"You are each journalists, you should person sent a connection and you didn't constitute the astir captious nonfiction astir it.

"It is each not OK for the players, I truly person to say. But it is present and we each fto it happen.

"I volition ticker games, of course, but it is antithetic to different World Cups."

A spokesperson for Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) said: "We commend footballers utilizing their platforms to rise consciousness for important matters.

"We person committed each effort to ensuring that this World Cup has had a transformative interaction connected improving lives, particularly for those progressive successful constructing the contention and non-competition venues we're liable for."

Qatari World Cup officials person besides stressed that "everyone is welcome" to sojourn the state to ticker the football, and said no-one volition beryllium discriminated against.

'Letter highlights systemic failures'

However, LGBT+ campaigners successful England and Wales person criticised Fifa implicit its missive to the 32 competing nations successful Qatar.

Three Lions Pride, Rainbow Wall and Pride successful Football issued a associated connection condemning satellite football's governing body.

"This missive highlights the systemic failures to adequately code quality rights issues wrong planetary football," they said.

"The planetary shot assemblage has called upon Fifa for answers astir these issues for astir 12 years."

They added Fifa had not "provided the existent assurances connected instrumentality information needed by those considering travelling to the World Cup".

"Let's beryllium clear, talking astir quality rights is neither ideological nor political. It is simply asking for decency and the quality for radical to beryllium capable to ticker their teams without fearfulness of abuse," they said.

"This appears to beryllium an effort to forestall competing nations from uplifting the voices of affected communities, specified arsenic migrant workers and the LGBT+ community, who person consistently said this is not a World Cup for all."

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