England stars raise World Cup activism worries with PFA

England players have told the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) they do not want to feel pressured into speaking out on political issues around this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.The issue has been raised in conversations between senior members of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, including captain Harry Kane, and the PFA as the tournament approaches with “100 days to go”, according to Sky News.PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said players understood the influence that comes with their profile but felt it was unfair for them to be expected to act as de facto spokespeople.Molango told Sky News: “We’re talking about people who are smart, who are socially conscious, people who understand that they don’t live in a bubble, people will really understand that they have a platform, that platform can be used to create a better world and to try to influence people.“However, what some of them have told me is that they found it a little bit unfair that ultimately, for as much as they have a platform, why should they turn into spokespeople for governments or for governing bodies that in reality should be the ones taking the lead?“I think some of them felt that in the past, and we’ve seen that, for example, in Qatar, some of them basically were hung out to dry.“Because instead of having the government or having the governing body showing leadership on certain topics, all of a sudden the players were asked to become political spokespeople and that’s not what they are. Those people are paid for delivering a show on the pitch.”Sky News said the players’ concerns come with a series of contentious issues expected to surround the World Cup, including criticism from rights groups linked to travel bans, immigration enforcement, policing and discrimination, as well as US military action against Iran and Venezuela.The report also pointed back to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the Football Association dropped plans for Kane to wear a rainbow armband after FIFA threatened sporting sanctions, and when activism and human rights debates dominated the build-up for several teams.Molango said players wanted to make their own decisions on when to speak publicly, and argued that football’s governance structures should not shift responsibility on to players.He said: “They are talking about all these issues, but behind the scenes, they don’t just necessarily want to talk about them in public.“It is for them to use their platform when they deem it appropriate… it needs to be on their own terms. It cannot be that they are forced to become political spokespeople because that’s not their job.”Molango added that players had no say in the selection of World Cup hosts, which is decided by the FIFA Congress, and said they should not be treated as complicit if they do not comment on every issue connected to host countries and major events.He also warned against the sport being seen as aligned with political causes, saying: “Football needs to be out of politics… and should never be perceived as being siding with one side or the other, irrespective of what we may think morally.”