Belgium Defender Jan Vertonghen reveals he is “afraid” to speak out during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
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Jan Vertonghen during an International match.
Belgium player Jan Vertonghen sat for the pre-match conference ahead of their 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage opener against Canada and he was asked a ton of dangerous questions by the media. Though the tournament has begun with great pumps and highs, the talks surrounding Qatar and their human rights issues are still, pertaining around the stadiums and the world.
Leading to the tournament, Qatar was criticized by the entire world for their human rights abuses of the migrant workers who worked day and night in order to build the stadiums. The treatment of the LGBTQ+ community in the country was also highlighted as the nation does not promote homosexuality and the captains decided to wear the OneLove armband during the FIFA World Cup as a sign of protest.
Countries like England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark were amongst the ones who chose to wear the OneLove armbands at the World Cup. But just a few days before the World Cup kicked off, the countries together announced that they won’t be continuing with their decision after facing pressure from FIFA.
What did Jan Vertonghen say at the press conference?
When asked about the decision to not wear the One-Love band, Jan Vertonghen said, “If you make a statement by wearing the armband that would mean punishing yourself. I don’t feel comfortable – and that is telling enough. We are put on the spot, and I am afraid that if I say something about this, I might not be able to play. We are being controlled. I don’t like making political statements.”
He added, “And that is a situation I have never, ever experienced in football, and I hope I will never, ever have to experience again because it is not good. We are here to play football, and if we can’t even do that because we are making a statement and just saying normal things, like ‘no to discrimination’ or ‘no to racism’, and you cannot say that then hey, then what?”
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Soumyadeep Mondal
(882 Articles Published)