As European teams set out on their paths to the 2022 World Cup, scrutiny of Qatar is far from subsiding.
Criticism is intensifying as teams come under pressure from activists and fans to register disapproval of discriminatory laws and conditions for the migrant workers preparing the Gulf nation for kickoff on Nov. 21 next year.
Just this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino received a letter from Amnesty International recognizing Qatar’s recent progress in improving worker rights since being awarded the World Cup in a 2010 vote but asking for enforcement of those changes to be prioritized.
No country has announced plans to boycott the tournament, although Norway, which features Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, is facing calls to do so from some top division clubs, including Rosenborg and Tromso.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken has indicated his players will use their first qualifier — against Gibraltar on Wednesday — to register concerns about human rights abuses in Qatar. Read more
