Gary Neville insists there SHOULD be a World Cup in the Middle East as he defends the decision to hand the tournament to Qatar… but says the Gulf State must be ‘challenged’ on human rights issues
- Ex-England player Gary Neville has backed Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup
- Neville stated on Sunday that ‘the middle-east should host’ the tournament
- The 47-year-old previously criticised Qatar’s awarding of the World Cup
- Neville had earlier stated his intentions to ‘highlight issues’ while in Qatar
Gary Neville has changed his stance on Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup as he states on-air during the tournament’s opening ceremony on Sunday afternoon, that the competition should be held in the middle-east.
Neville has previously been very vocal and publicly denounced the World Cup being held in Qatar with him earlier stating that he was going to the tournament to ‘highlight issues’.
The 47-year-old is part of beIN Sports commentary team in the middle-east and while on-air during the tournament’s glamorous opening ceremony celebrated the World Cup getting underway in the controversial nation.
Describing the start of the tournament on Sunday, Neville said:
‘The workers who built these stadiums do need thanking,’ Neville said. ‘But football is here, it’s the greatest sports tournament in the world.
‘There should be a World Cup in an Arab country, there should be a World Cup in a Muslim country, there should be a World Cup in the Middle East that is a fact!’
Gary Neville has stated his belief that the FIFA World Cup should be hosted in the middle-east
While commentating in Qatar, Neville backed the country’s hosting of the global football event
Neville was speaking on-air at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in the Al Bayt Stadium
Neville’s latest statement contradicts his declaration of condemnation for Qatar putting on football’s biggest event where he insisted he would ‘challenge issues’ while in the country.
Speaking on his hosting debut of the BBC‘s Have I Got News For You at the start of November, Neville said:
Host nation Qatar (red) played Ecuador (yellow) in Sunday’s World Cup opener
‘You’ve got a choice, haven’t you?
‘My view always has been that you either highlight the issues and challenges in these countries and speak about them, or you basically don’t say anything and stay back home and don’t go. And I think we should challenge them.’
Neville, also part of ITV’s World Cup coverage in Qatar, was in the England dugout for England’s 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil acting as number two to then-manager Roy Hodgson.