World Cup 2022: Conor Coady says it is not 'too much' to ask to speak about non-football issues

England defender Conor Coady does not deliberation it is "too much" to expect the side's players to talk astir non-football issues.

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

"We're not politicians," said 29-year-old centre-back Coady.

"We'll ne'er beryllium politicians successful presumption of the mode we look astatine things but, successful presumption of what the squad has done implicit the past fewer years and however overmuch they've helped people, that comes with the territory.

"You look astatine Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling and the magnitude they've done disconnected the transportation successful helping people. It comes with being an England subordinate due to the fact that the lads are truthful unfastened to speaking to the media and trying to assistance radical arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. It's large recognition to them successful presumption of however they've gone astir it. I don't deliberation it's excessively much.

"I won't beryllium present and accidental the boys cognize everything due to the fact that I don't deliberation we bash but what we volition bash is effort and assistance arsenic overmuch arsenic we can. Over the past fewer years the boys person done an unthinkable occupation of it."

He added: "First and foremost we are present to triumph games but if determination is thing connected apical of that, arsenic I say, we person a mature group."

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In February 2021, the Guardian said 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died successful Qatar since it won its World Cup bid successful 2010.

However, the Qatar authorities has said the full is misleading, due to the fact that not each the deaths recorded were of radical moving connected World Cup-related projects.

A caller study by Human Rights Watch said members of Qatar's LGBTQ+ assemblage were detained and physically abused by the country's information services, portion a Qatar World Cup ambassador was criticised for saying homosexuality was "damage successful the mind".

Qatar's World Cup organisers accidental that "everyone is welcome" to sojourn the state to ticker the football, and that no-one volition beryllium discriminated against.

Peaceful protests person been planned by immoderate players, portion England's Harry Kane and 8 different captains of European teams volition beryllium wearing 'One Love' armbands to beforehand diverseness and inclusion.

Asked if the players would beryllium taking the genu earlier games, Coady said: "At the minute, it is not thing we person spoken about."

An England spokesperson said the players would sermon whether to instrumentality a genu earlier their World Cup opener against Iran connected Monday.

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'Football is for perfectly everybody'

England volition conscionable migrant workers successful Qatar arsenic portion of their docket and Coady, who has 10 planetary caps, said: "It's a accidental to talk to them and for america to unfastened up to them a spot and spot however the past fewer months person been.

"[We are] going successful with an unfastened caput to chat to them arsenic overmuch arsenic we can. The boys are truly looking guardant to it."

On the issues successful Qatar, helium added: "From our ain constituent of view, we've spoken astir it arsenic a team. We person travel unneurotic and had a chat astir it successful meetings.

"We person said the aforesaid happening - we truly judge that shot is for perfectly everybody. That is what we judge arsenic a team, arsenic radical and arsenic players ourselves. That's what we privation to absorption on.

"We person travel to a state wherever we volition respect rules, and respect everything that goes connected successful this country.

"We're each present for 1 thing, and that's to play football, but successful presumption of what we judge arsenic a squad and arsenic players is shot is for all, everyone to beryllium included successful our large sport."

England spell into the World Cup connected the backmost of six games without a win.

Their caller tally included 3 defeats and 3 draws and resulted successful relegation from their Nations League group.

"It's not affected confidence," said Coady, who was portion of the England squad astatine Euro 2020 but did not play.

"We didn't get to wherever we wanted but we cognize wherever we privation to spell now."

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