Gareth Southgate ‘clearer’ on Qatar human rights issues and will talk to players

England manager Gareth Southgate believes he is now “clearer” on the human rights issues dogging Qatar’s World Cup preparations as he prepares to talk to his players about the situation.

Concerns over the treatment of migrant workers and a poor human rights record have plagued the Gulf state since it was controversially awarded this year’s finals back in 2010.

World Cup organisers insist there have been just three work-related deaths since the construction of the majority of the stadiums began.

I'm clearer now, I feel I can articulate that better to the players. - England boss Gareth Southgate

Male homosexuality is punishable by a prison sentence and same-sex marriages are not recognised by the government, meaning some supporters are uneasy about travelling to Qatar when the finals kick off in November.

“When I was being asked those questions before Christmas, it was hard to get a real full understanding of exactly what are these issues,” Southgate said after naming his squad for England’s upcoming friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.

“I’m clearer now, I feel I can articulate that better to the players. We might get some other people within the FA to help with that but we’ll see the best way of approaching that next week.”

Southgate will address his players once they meet up at St George’s Park to train ahead of the double-header.

He admits it is “not a good situation” that some fans might feel uncomfortable attending the World Cup and that the issues are “too complex” for a simple statement from the Football Association to cover off all of the intricacies.

“Certainly within the FA we’ve done a lot of research and that’s going to be ongoing because of course the world is changing all the time and situations in