Jordan Henderson says the “horrendous” allegations of human rights abuses in Qatar have proved “shocking” for the England squad.
Gareth Southgate’s squad were given a 30 minute briefing on the issues surrounding the Gulf state, which will host the World Cup later this year, this week as they consider a protest.
Qatar stand accused of exploiting migrant workers, with research showing that more than 6500 have died since Fifa awarded the 2022 World Cup in 2010. Furthermore there are concerns over discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and women.
Henderson says the England squad need time to digest the information they have been given before deciding on a unified protest, perhaps in alignment with other European nations participating in the World Cup.
“I’d obviously heard quite a lot of stories in the media anyway but it is hard to know what is true and exactly what is going on,” said the Liverpool captain.
“But when we were given the briefing the other day it is quite shocking and disappointing... it’s horrendous really when you look at some of the issues that have been happening there.
“That is why it takes some time to digest. It is a really important topic and we need to get it right as a team and that is why we need a bit of time to work out as a team going forward.
“It has sparked conversation off within the team. I am a senior player and I take a lot of responsibility on things like this so I’ll do my best to speak to as many lads as I can along with other senior members of the squad and we’ll come up with something that we feel is the best way to go forward.
“I don’t think we’ll please everyone with what we do but as long as we stick together in terms of what we believe in and what we think is right that is the most important thing.”
