Following a contentious build-up, Fifa wrote to each of the 32 World Cup teams instructing them to “now focus on the game.”
The host nation of Qatar has come under fire for its views on same-sex couples, record on human rights, and treatment of migrant labor.
The competition begins on November 20.
Football shouldn’t be “dragged” into ideological or political “battles,” according to the letter, and it shouldn’t be “handing out moral teachings.”
Some players have prepared civil protests.
Harry Kane of England and nine other captains of European countries will don armbands with the slogan “One Love.”
Hummel, the company that makes Denmark’s uniforms, has stated that it “does not intend to be conspicuous” in a competition that “has cost thousands of lives” and that Denmark will wear “toned-down” shirts to oppose Qatar.
The Australian team has made a film calling on Qatar to repeal its restrictions on same-sex unions.
Despite France being the defending champions, Paris and other French cities are refusing to show matches in public spaces.
The letter, seen by the BBC and signed by Fifa President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Fatma Samoura, states: “We are aware that politics play a significant role in many global concerns and difficulties, and that sport does not exist in a vacuum.
“However, refrain from using football in any ongoing ideological or political conflicts.
Added is: “At Fifa, we strive to accept different viewpoints and convictions without preaching to the rest of the globe. There is no one group, culture, or country that is “better” than another. This tenet is the cornerstone of nondiscrimination and mutual respect.
“And one of football’s fundamental principles is also this. Let’s all keep that in mind and let football take center stage.
We have a special chance to welcome and embrace everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or place of origin.
Henderson says “We strive to help as much as we can.”
Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, stated this week that it was “unfair” to anticipate players participating in demonstrations or political remarks throughout the competition.
Jordan Henderson, an England midfielder, spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: “The players are subjected to a lot of pressure on whether the World Cup should be held there and all of its ramifications, but they do not choose the host nation.
“Fifa makes that decision, thus they should provide a response to that query. For the most part, we players just play football and try to be as helpful as we can be.”
Added him: “We do tiny things like that to demonstrate to others that we are all one and inclusive, and it is for this reason that this campaign [Kane’s armband] came to light.
“The most crucial factor is whether you act appropriately. Whatever people say, it will never be sufficient unless everyone simply chooses not to show up.”
Beth Mead of England remarked on Thursday that the tournament’s location in Qatar is “disappointing.” The openly homosexual Mead does not believe that the Gulf state is the “appropriate place” to host the competition.
The Fifa ban on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine is one of the other off-field problems. Iran should also be excluded from the World Cup, according to the Ukrainian FA, because of its “chronic human rights crimes.” It feels that the country’s assault on protestors “may breach the values and practices” of Fifa.
In its 92-year existence, the World Cup has never been held in the winter. The first proposal by Qatar to hold the finals in air-conditioned stadiums throughout the summer was rejected.
Everyone is invited to travel to Qatar to watch the World Cup, according to the country’s World Cup organizers, who also promise that there will be no discrimination.
For the occasion, seven new stadiums, an airport, roads, and roughly 100 hotels have all been constructed. The majority of the 30,000 foreign workers engaged, according to the government of Qatar, are from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Philippines.
Human rights organizations have expressed their displeasure with Qatar’s treatment of foreign workers and the number of deaths that have occurred there.
The Guardian reported in February 2021 that 6,500 migrant laborers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have perished in Qatar since it was awarded the World Cup bid in 2010.
The amount is based on data given by the embassies of the nations in Qatar.
The Qatari government, however, claimed that the figure was inaccurate since not all of the fatalities reported were workers engaged in World Cup-related activity.
Only three of the 37 deaths of workers at World Cup stadium building sites between 2014 and 2020, according to the government’s accident data, were “work-related.”
According to information acquired by BBC Arabic, the government of Qatar may have underreported the number of deaths among foreign workers.
The World Cup building project has been linked to “any accident or fatality relating to any project,” according to the English Football Association.