The host country of this year’s World Cup is often criticized by many countries for its laws directed against the LGBT+ community or for the “slavery” treatment of migrant workers, hundreds of whom died while building the facilities for the World Cup.
Barnes, a former Liverpool player with whom he won the English Super Cup three times, sees it differently. He thinks that the British view of the matter is hypocritical because of the discrimination against black people in the UK. He said this earlier this week in an interview with Times Radio. He also said that people should respect the culture, law and religion of Qatar.
John Barnes on the Qatar World Cup:
“What they’re doing is inviting everyone to come but respect our culture, religions and laws.”
“If you go to somebody’s country – we are saying the same thing for people who come to the UK – they have to respect our laws when they’re here.” pic.twitter.com/xv4wbSkwQI
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 26, 2022
In response to criticism of his statements, he decided to elaborate his opinion through social networks. “Of course I don’t accept Qatari values when it comes to anti-gay laws. But no one has the right to go to a foreign country and do there what we do. We wouldn’t accept it here either,” said Barnes.
“You can be criminalised for being black in England. Should we have the Euros here?”
John Barnes has told #TimesRadio gay people have to respect the culture, law and religion of Qatar and suggests England shouldn’t have hosted Euro 2020 over racism in the UK. pic.twitter.com/CU7rsCPB0N
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) November 25, 2022
“When the Premier League restarts, will the BBC broadcast from St James’ Park and the Etihad Stadium in Manchester when both these clubs are owned by countries whose laws are the same as Qatar’s?” he asks. Then he escalated his arguments.
“What do you think Hitler would have done to the foreigners in the stadium in Berlin if they were doing what is happening in Qatar? They didn’t allow it back then, did they? But we can bully Qatar, so we do!” wrote the 59-year-old former player.
Social media users found the comparison offensive, so they asked him about it. “Hitler wanted to take over Europe and we ignored him and let him do what he did. Qatar has no such intention, but we go there and criticize it?” Barnes replied.
It is said that people should first sweep in front of their own doorstep before they start criticizing someone. He pointed to the treatment of blacks in Great Britain. “Black people are stopped on the streets every day. They stop them in their cars, they arrest them for being black,” said the former player originally from Jamaica.
“Which country is worse? A country where the authorities take illegal action against people when it’s illegal to discriminate against them, or Qatar, where it’s illegal to be gay?” Barnes concluded.
