To Mark Bullingham and the FA,

I am appalled at the FA’s decision to withdraw from wearing the One Love armband at the World Cup. This tells fans across the country that the FA is unwilling to take even a minor stand against Qatar and FIFA in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

This total lack of respect from FIFA, combined with continuous reports of worker exploitation amounting to forced labor and migrant worker deaths, has forever tarnished this World Cup.

What we have seen over the past days, months, and years, only highlights how completely inappropriate it is for the World’s biggest football competition to be taking place in Qatar.

Whilst you have made statements over the past month outlining the need for compensation and your support for LGBTQ+ rights, I hope you agree that there is much more that can be done. The tournament will end on the 18th of December. After that, attention will move on and thousands of migrant workers will be completely discarded.

I therefore ask that you to support the This Isn’t Football campaign and:

1. Publicly call for all future tournaments to be protected from LGBTQ+ discrimination, abuse and injustice.
2. Outline what exactly the FA will do to ensure a compensation fund is created before the World Cup ends, and pressure for the full $440 million Amnesty figure.
3. If a fund is not created before the end of the World Cup,  clearly outline the actions the FA will take in the weeks and months to follow, and maintain public pressure on FIFA to ensure the call is not brushed under the carpet and forgotten.
4. Commit all prize money the FA receive to migrant workers if a compensation fund is not created by FIFA.

I am in no doubt that you have watched in horror as reports continue to emerge covering the extent of the human rights violations that migrant workers have faced in building this World Cup. As an England football fan, I am asking you to stand up for the values our sport should represent.

I look forward to your response and I’m hopeful for your meaningful action.

Sincerely,

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