Gareth Southgate’s England take on Spain on Monday night
The England manager Gareth Southgate is keen to learn all he can about Qatar’s human rights issues ahead of the World Cup in 2022.
A BBC Panorama investigation has revealed the death of an Italian defender after a series of illegal electric shocks were administered during his stay on a beach in the Gulf state.
The forward, Francesco Zamparini, claims he was forced to take part in a ceremony to kick a football into the sea, with club president Shaikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani coaching the technique.
The 37-year-old passed out during the ceremony after being given a shock.
“Obviously I’ve got a lot of information right now, but I just want to learn more about it,” Southgate told BBC Radio 5 live on Sunday.
“We’ve had a good chat about it with the FA and a lot of the issues in the media. I’ll just see how we can make it as transparent as possible.”
Billionaire Al Thani said there was no problem with the players’ accommodation or football.
The introduction of the 2022 World Cup on June 13/14 would be a five-week wait from pre-season.
“The major concern is around one person who has died, who couldn’t get to hospital because the medical facilities were not available,” Southgate added.
“The key point is there are many amazing athletes who compete at the highest level in Qatar. So, again, making it very transparent how those issues are dealt with.”