Jan Vertonghen says he hopes he “never has to go through” what he feels at the 2022 World Cup “ever again”.
The former Tottenham star said he felt “controlled” and “uncomfortable” as he was “afraid” to talk about the issues with Qatar hosting the tournament.
The 2022 World Cup has been marred by controversy even before a ball has been thrown, with questions raised over topics including the country’s human rights record and its attitude towards homosexuality.
Vertonghen’s Belgium were among nations that planned for their captain to wear the OneLove anti-discrimination armband in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.
But they backtracked after FIFA threatened sporting sanctions, including an immediate yellow card, as they were also told to change their away kit, which had ‘love’ on its neck.
And Belgian star and former Spurs man Vertonghen went out of his way to explain how “uncomfortable” the 2022 FIFA World Cup was for the players with all the controversy surrounding the tournament.
“I mean [is it] Too late if you’re making a statement now by wearing the armband? Vertonghen started ahead of his country’s World Cup opener against Canada on Wednesday night – live on talkSPORT.
“It would be like punishing yourself. But I’m now unfortunately afraid to say anything, I don’t feel comfortable and that’s quite telling.
“We are put on the spot in this situation. I’m scared if I say something about it whether or not I can play on the pitch tomorrow.
“It is unfortunately a situation that I have never experienced in football, and I hope that I will never have to experience it again because it is simply not good.
“We’re vetted and I don’t really like to make political statements, but like I said, I’m afraid to even say anything about it. We are here to play football, we can’t even do it because we say these things.
“These are normal things, like saying no to racism and discrimination. If you can’t even say that, hey, then what?
“I shouldn’t say anything about it because tomorrow I want to appear at the 10 a.m. kick-off and that’s saying enough.”
Vertonghen is not the only one to raise the issue at Qatar 2022.
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