The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament strongly condemns recent statements by the Qatari World Cup ambassador describing homosexuality as “damage in the mind” and the threats launched by FIFA to sanction football players wearing the OneLove armband as sign of support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

In a European Parliament plenary debate on human rights and the FIFA world cup in Qatar, Renew Europe made it clear that this event must be experienced freely by everyone to be truly global and shared amongst all communities, cultures and people.

At the same time, migrant workers’ rights have been at the centre of controversy over the years, as an estimated 95% of the country's labor force is made up of migrants, and Qatar has been accused of widespread abuses in how it treats its migrant workers, including those specifically working on the World Cup.

Speaking during the debate, Renew Europe Vice President Katalin Cseh MEP (Momentum, HU) said:

“The Qatar Football World Cup will always be remembered as yet another World Cup of Shame, like the Sotchi Olympics in Russia. This Parliament condemns, in the strongest possible terms, both FIFA and Qatari authorities for its abysmal record on workers' rights. We will never turn our back at grave human rights violations, and we’ll fight to ensure Qatar's promises to improve are actually followed by concrete actions for the workers and their families. We stand by the LGBTQIA+ people of Qatar who deserve much better in the region, including in Qatar."