England captain Harry Kane wants to 'shine light' on Qatar issues

Important for players to 'shine a light on things' at Qatar World Cup - Kane

England captain Harry Kane says he wants to "shine a light" on issues around Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup will be held.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and there are strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

There are also concerns about the human rights record of a country that was awarded the World Cup in 2010.

"We know there have been some issues that have happened that aren't right, so it's going to be a mixed emotion [at the World Cup]," said Kane.

England manager Gareth Southgate has said it is a "great shame" some England fans will not travel to the World Cup as "there are the issues that potentially threaten" them.

He mentioned "the rights of women and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in particular".

Speaking to BBC Sport sports editor Dan Roan, Kane added: "All we can do, and me as a captain, is try to shine a light on those issues.

"The World Cup being in Qatar is definitely shining that light and it's important we try to make as much change as possible, not just for now but for the future as well."

Southgate and his squad held at a meeting about the issues in Qatar this week and Kane says the players will continue to have discussions "to try to help in any way we can to support those issues".

A report in the Guardian last year said 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded 12 years ago.

Qatar did not comment on those figures, which it disputes, but has said: "We deeply regret all of these tragedies and investigated each incident to ensure lessons were learned."

In November, Amnesty International released a report accusing the country of failing to implement its own laws designed to improve conditions for migrant workers.

The Qatar government has said it "rejects" Amnesty's assertion.

Norway, Netherlands and Germany players have protested about the alleged human rights abuses in Qatar.

Kane said it was "important" to use the platform the squad had and that he and other senior England players plan to talk to other national team captains "to see if we can be unified in how we approach it".

"In terms of what we can do, it's important over the next few weeks and months to have ideas - whether that's just us as a nation or with other countries as well - to all stand together as one, which will send a really powerful message," added the Tottenham striker.

"It could be anything at the moment and something that we have to discuss and decide going forward.

"As a player and nation we can only try to move that forward in the right direction."

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