It’s a great shame some England supporters will stay away from Qatar – Southgate

Gareth Southgate admits it is a “great shame” that sections of England supporters will not travel to Qatar for the World Cup this winter and stressed that no one is “complacent” to the issues involved.

Accusations concerning the treatment of migrant workers and a poor record of human rights have plagued the Gulf state since it was controversially awarded the finals back in 2010.

Male homosexuality is punishable by a prison sentence, same-sex marriages are not recognised by the government and women’s rights are much tighter than in other parts of the world.

England boss Southgate has said he is now ‘clear’ on the issues of hosting the World Cup in the region and plans to hold talks with his Three Lions squad ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.

“I think I’m quite clear on the areas of concern about this tournament,” he said.

“The building of the stadiums was the first and there’s nothing we can do about that now. They’re built.

“There are obviously ongoing concerns about the rights of workers and the conditions they live in and those areas.

“It seems universally accepted that it’s better than it was but not in the position where people think it could be. And maybe policies that have been put in place are not always enforced as they might be.

“Then there are the issues that potentially threaten our fans when they travel: the rights of women and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in particular.

“Sadly, through discussions that I’ve had, I don’t think some of those communities are going to go and that’s a great shame.

“We stand for inclusivity as a team – that’s been the big driver of a lot of the stances we’ve taken in the last couple of years – and it would be horrible to think some of our