Football announcer Gary Lineker have been criticized for their lack of advocacy for human rights during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
I believe we were sports-washed four years ago when we were in Russia, according to Lineker, who is hosting BBC coverage of this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
“I do look back four years and feel a little uneasy,” he continued.
After annexing Crimea in 2014, there were calls for Russia to be disqualified from the 2018 competition.
In addition to the football in Russia, Gary Lineker said on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show that “we didn’t talk probably enough about the other concerns.”
This time, the BBC panel of analysts did talk about Qatari human rights concerns before Sunday’s first game.
It “was thought the correct thing to do,” according to Lineker, to talk about other topics besides sports.
“I believe we gained knowledge from what we likely saw to be an error [with Russia]. In retrospect, I believe we ought to have voiced our opinions more.
According to BBC Sport, it won’t be commenting. When a nation or organization sponsors or hosts a major sporting event, it is known as sports washing.
This past weekend in Qatar, Lineker gave a monologue at the beginning of the BBC’s coverage, calling the tournament “the most controversial World Cup in history.”
The monologue and talks that followed with other presenters, including former England women’s player Alex Scott, explained to Media Show host Ros Atkins, “were a choice by everyone in BBC Sport and these things are all thought through a lot, it wasn’t just me.”
The speaker said, “Every country has various things and different advances, different traditions, and different ways that things are regarded.
But this one was different because of the corruption component. That made a difference for me, therefore I thought it was crucial to emphasize that.
In the wake of Qatar’s successful bid to host the competition, allegations of corruption, vote-swapping, and connections to trade deals have surfaced at the highest echelons of government.
Qatar was exonerated by Fifa several years ago, but the organizers have consistently refuted the accusations and they remain unverified.
Human rights problems, such as the fact that same-sex relationships and the advocacy of same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, are also controversial. The rights of women are also constrained.
And although the exact numbers are contested, there have been serious complaints about how migrant workers have been treated, including deaths on stadium construction sites.
The BBC has also come under fire for not airing the World Cup opening ceremony on Sunday in some circles.
However, Lineker said that this was standard procedure for any World Cup.
“The BBC always airs the Olympic Games opening ceremony, but they never, ever air football tournaments’ opening ceremonies on BBC One.
I believe that the reason why people have been misinformed about this is that it has never existed. They don’t amount to much. It takes them about 15 to 20 minutes to accomplish this small task in the background.
This was also confirmed by a BBC official. The former England striker added that he would not have accepted Qatari money in exchange for his football commentary services.
Gary Lineker responded, “That’s his personal decision, regarding Gary Neville’s decision to work for Qatari network beIN Sports. We’re all so judgmental these days, so it’s really simple to be one. No, I wouldn’t have, and I haven’t either.
But, as you know, it’s his life, so he must live it as he sees fit and take the actions he desires.
In an earlier interview with Nihal Arthanayake of BBC Radio 5 Live, Neville justified his work in Qatar by saying, “I’m going over to the World Cup, I’m going to work on the event, and I’m going to continue to highlight things I believe are wrong.”
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