25/11/2022
Gay magazine GScene reports that the LGBTQIA and allied network within West Midlands football club Aston Villa has polled its members on the World Cup in Qatar – a repressive state with little democracy and flagrant human rights violations. Eighty per cent of respondents said that they would not be watching the World Cup on this occasion and eighty eight per cent said they would never travel to Qatar for the tournament, even if offered an all expenses trip. Over half expressed dissatisfaction with the Football Association’s response to homophobia and other human rights abuses in Qatar. Villa and Proud Network are to hold several events through the World Cup period to assist members who have experienced anxiety or depression as a result of the Qatari state’s indifference to equality and human rights.
