"Questions need to be asked to FIFA" - Andy Murray on Qatar hosting World Cup
Other
Former World No. 1, Andy Murray, has said that questions need to be posed to the organisers of the FIFA World Cup 2022 about its decision to award the prestigious tournament to Qatar, a country with well-documented human rights abuses.
Speaking to Sky News in the past few days, the two-time Wimbledon champion was asked whether he had any advice to offer those playing in Qatar this month. Murray's response was that the athletes themselves should not be the focus of criticism, but rather the tournament organisers who need to be questioned.
"That's a difficult question. I've also competed in and played tournaments in Qatar and Doha that are on our tour. I don't think it's necessarily the athletes' responsibility where their events are. I'm sure for a lot of the players who are going there, they have worked their whole lives to be involved in a World Cup," Murray said.
"I think those questions need to be asked to FIFA and the people that are organizing these major events, whether it's the right thing to do or not. I hope it goes well, but yeah, I know there's been a lot of questions whether it's the right place to host a major event like that," he added.
The three-time Grand Slam champion rejected a lucrative offer at the start of this year to play exhibition matches in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on moral grounds.
While there was speculation about footballers boycotting the World Cup this year in a similar fashion, almost all national teams will be in full attendance. Some instead have opted to stage their own protest in the form of wearing the LGBTQ+ rainbow-striped armbands.
As one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world draws ever nearer, though, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the glaring moral questions surrounding this year's FIFA World Cup.
