Footballers for change - 23rd November 2022

The men's World Cup 2022 is in Qatar. But many people don't want it in Qatar. They think Qatar isn't safe for everyone.

Qatar built lots of new buildings for the men's World Cup. People from poor countries built the buildings. But many of them died. Human rights groups aren't happy about this.

Many people in London want to change the situation. They want Qatar to be safe for women, foreign workers and LGBTQ+ people.

Peter Tatchell was at the Qatar Embassy in London.

Peter Tatchell: "Hosting a major sporting event is a privilege, not a right and with privileges comes obligations including the obligation to respect the principle of universal human rights enshrined by the United Nations. Qatar is in violation of those universal human rights principles and on those grounds alone, it is unfit to host the World Cup."

In Qatar, LGBTQ+ people can go to prison.

Many footballers and football fans are LGBTQ+. Their teams want them to feel safe at the World Cup.

7 football captains wanted to wear the rainbow armbands. It shows equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. FIFA said they can't wear them. Footballers will get a yellow card. This means that they may not play.

The England team made a new decision. They'll go on one knee before every match. They want equal rights for everyone.