Friday, March 29

Luis Enrique, on Qatar: “I hope the quality of life of all people in the world can be improved, but it is not my job”

The coach of the Spanish soccer team, Luis Enrique, has rejected this Friday that it is a problem for him to play in Qatar – where it is estimated that thousands of workers have died during the construction of the stadiums – and has argued that he does not have “the capacity of decision” because he is a selector and not “political”. “Hopefully the quality of life of all people can be improved in the world, but that is not my job,” he has settled.

The coach appeared this Friday at a press conference to give the complete list of players summoned and was asked if playing in this country is a problem for him. Luis Enrique has replied that he is “delighted” to represent Spain “wherever necessary” and has argued that the organization of the event in Qatar was a FIFA decision “despite the controversies that they knew would be generated”.

“It is evident that it is a country that is surrounded by a series of conflictive situations, but this is… it depends on what you want to focus on: if you want to focus on the positive and on the things that are trying to be changed to try to generate a fairer society or if you simply want to focus on the problems”, he stated.

He has added that he is a coach and does not have “decision capacity”. “I do not fix, I am not a politician, I have no decision-making capacity. Decided my list or the list that I consider should represent our country and I focus on football. Hopefully the quality of life of all people can be improved in the world, but that is not my job”, the former player finished.

There are only a few days left before the start of the World Cup and in recent weeks there have been different gestures and public positions by representatives of the world of football and other personalities against its celebration in this country. The streamer Ibai Llanos explained a few days ago his refusal to go to the World Cup with the Spanish team to record content from there. “An opportunity arose for me that was to go on the plane of the Spanish team, not to do live but to record content. But it doesn’t get out of my head and I’m not going to do it, ”he commented.

According to an investigation by The Guardian newspaper, based on statistics from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, more than 6,500 workers from those countries have died during the construction of stadiums and facilities for the World Cup. In 2010, when Qatar was chosen as the venue, the emirate began the construction of seven stadiums, as well as numerous infrastructures, an airport and several hotels. The organizations accuse the Government not only of not ensuring the protection of the workers, but also of not investigating the cause of the deaths.

The country also has legislation that punishes consensual sexual relations between people of the same sex with prison sentences of up to ten years. The current criminal code also provides sentences of between one and three years in prison for those who “instigate” or “persuade” other people to commit acts of “sodomy or immorality.”



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