England players should fly rainbow flag and St George’s cross at Qatar World Cup

England’s footballers have been guarded when speaking about off-the-field issues ahead of the World Cup in Qatar but

The World Cup is going to Qatar, that is for sure. And you get the feeling they know it.

As the event moves closer, leading local figures in the organisation of World Cup 2022 do not appear to feel the need to be as conciliatory as they might have been when kick-off was a long way away.

Responding to Gareth Southgate’s comments that he thought it was a “great shame” that LGTBQ+ followers of England might not feel safe to travel to the World Cup, Nasser Al Khater, chief executive of Qatar 2022, said: “Somebody with a lot of influence such as Southgate, somebody with a big audience that listens to what he has said, has got to pick his words carefully.”

If there was ever a man who picks his words carefully, it is Southgate and if he says LGTBQ+ fans will have serious concerns about going to the tournament, then he has done his research. If there is one thing Southgate is not, it is scattergun. This is not a guy who fires out accusations off the cuff. And if Southgate’s concerns needed affirmation from within Qatar, it came when Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari – a senior official overseeing security for the tournament – spoke about the possibility of rainbow flags being displayed in stadiums.

“If he (a fan) raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to insult him, but to protect him,” Al Ansari said. “Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack … I cannot guarantee the behaviour of the whole people. You want to demonstrate your view about the situation, demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted.”

Wow, that is just the sort of reassurance the LGTBQ+ community needs ahead of a trip to what is supposed to be one of the greatest, inclusive sporting jamborees on the global calendar. But then that is not a demonstration. If it is already accepted, you are not demonstrating against anything. That is why Lewis Hamilton wore a rainbow helmet in Qatar last year. After Hungary introduced what was seen as anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Sebastian Vettel took the knee before the Hungarian Grand Prix dressed in a rainbow short with the words SAME LOVE emblazoned on its front.

Al Ansari is a senior figure in Qatar’s public administration. He is director of the Department of International Cooperation and Chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior. “Watch the game. That’s good,” he went on. “But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this.”

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In other words, the LGBTQ+ community is ‘welcome’ in Qatar … but keep schtum about it. Understandably, the England squad were guarded about what, if any, stance they will take when it comes to addressing wider off-the-field matters in Qatar. But when they do decide, flying the rainbow flag alongside the flag of St George would be a start.

Bizarre Fernandes contract timing

There are very few judges out there who do not consider Bruno Fernandes to be a world class player on his day. So tying him down to a contract that could keep him at Old Trafford until 2027 would seem to make sense. Only Fernandes still had over three years of his previous contract left to run.

And while he showed his value with the two goals that sent Portugal to the World Cup finals last week, Fernandes’ form for United this season has hardly been stellar. This new deal, running until 2026 but with the option for an extra year, serves one obvious purpose for Fernandes … it gives him a whopping pay rise. But the timing feels wrong.

Fernandes has done very well since he arrived just over two years ago – but, right now, handsomely rewarding any player does not seem the right United move. And handsomely rewarding a player who has caught the eye as much for his moaning as his maverick brilliance this season does not seem the right United move.