Former England star Gary Lineker has revealed that he shunned Russian president Vladimir Putin at the draw for the 2018 World Cup.
That edition of the prestigious tournament was held in the eastern European country. Lineker was one of the conductors of the draw in Moscow in December 2017, with Cafu, Laurent Blanc and Fabio Cannavaro among the former stars who pulled the teams out of the hat.
As is usual for the draw for a World Cup, a number of dignitaries and politicians from the host country were in attendance. That included Putin, who has pushed through a range of laws targeting minorities in Russia, including the LGBT+ community.
Lineker has been a long-standing supporter of the LGBT+ community, something he did not forget while in Russia. The Match of the Day presenter wore a rainbow wristband while conducting the draw in one act of protest.
And the former England striker also refused to be photographed with Putin, in another showcase of his opposition to the president's policies. Lineker told the Mirror: “I avoided meeting him. I was asked to go with all the players and I didn’t want to do anything.”
While he decided to accept his invitation to the draw for the World Cup in Russia, he refused to go when he was offered a chance to go to Qatar. Lineker has been outspoken in his opposition to the tournament being awarded to the Middle East country.
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The former Barcelona and Tottenham star highlighted the entrenched homophobia in Qatar, including its anti-LGBT+ laws, as well as the poor treatment of migrant workers who are building the stadiums for the tournament.
And he has admitted that his opposition led to him turning down the organisers when they invited him to the draw in April. He has also pledged to shine a spotlight on Qatar's human rights abuses as part of the BBC's coverage of the tournament this winter.
“I didn’t want to do the World Cup draw because I’ve been outspoken about the corruption that was involved by FIFA. It’s a different FIFA now. But I felt, rather than where I said I’m there to report on the World Cup rather than support it," he added.
"I think doing the draw for FIFA, for the world, for Qatar, would be supporting the World Cup and supporting the decision. I’m sure we’ll do it on the first night. Obviously we’re not going to do it in every buildup to every game, but of course we’ll talk about it and openly.”
Lineker has joined with Ivor Baddiel to write a new children's book 50 Times Football Changed the World. It will detail footballing firsts, including the UK's first LGBT+ inclusive club, Stonewall FC.
50 Times Football Changed the World by Gary Lineker & Ivor Baddiel (published by Puffin) is out now.
