World Cup 2022: Biggleswade United boss Cristian Colas, who is gay, will not follow Qatar tournament
- Published
Cristian Colas returned to Biggleswade in 2020 following a previous spell in charge from 2015-2018
An openly gay non-league football head coach says he will not follow the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar because of the country's human rights record.
Cristian Colas, of Biggleswade United, says Fifa were wrong to award the tournament to Qatar in 2010.
The tournament begins on 20 November when the hosts play Ecuador, and ends with the final on 18 December.
"I don't believe in this tournament. That's a shame, but it's what I think," Colas told the BBC's Non-League Show.
"[I am] showing respect to everyone that will watch, in the same way that I hope everyone understands why I'm not watching it and why I have been so vocal about it.
"It's not only with the country, it's also with the organisation - Fifa selected Qatar knowing what has been happening."
Homosexuality can still be punishable by death in Qatar and the country has also been criticised for its treatment of migrant workers, who helped build the stadiums and other infrastructure.
A report in the Guardian, external last year said 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded.
Mohammed Al-Attiyah, the country's ambassador to the UK, said last week: "We're not asking anybody to change who they are, all we're saying is that in life you respect others to respect your own values and norms in cultures.
"We don't discriminate, nobody is going to be asked at any checkpoints to prove their gender or sexuality."
But Colas, whose club chairman at the ninth-tier side is football broadcaster Guillem Balague, said: "Everyone is saying how the World Cup will change things in Qatar - we will see.
"Not only for the LBGTQ+ rights, but women's rights and human rights - it's a disgrace what has been happening since Fifa selected Qatar as hosting the World Cup."
England's Harry Kane will be among a number of captains wearing OneLove armbands during the World Cup.
And Colas, who is in his second spell with South Midlands League Premier Division club Biggleswade and has also coached in Spain and Finland, said: "It's only a personal opinion, if someone wants to watch it, feel free and I hope they enjoy it.
"If England or Spain win the World Cup, fair enough. I'm not against people who watch it, it's just that I don't believe at all in this organisation. I don't want to be part of it."
Colas told the Non-League Show that the Qatar World Cup situation had pushed him forward to open up about his own sexuality on the BBC's LGBT podcast earlier this month.
"If someone thinks I can be a support, I am completely open for that," he added.
"The reactions [to the podcast] have been wonderful. I was not expecting to be overwhelmed, which is what I felt after the interview came up.
"I'm not someone who likes to be the flagship or [self] promote. On one hand, it's so sad that we still have to have this kind of activism to explain our experience. On the other hand, people have shown me how it could help.
"I just like to open another window, another door, the game can involve absolutely everyone. It doesn't matter, religion, colour or sexual orientation. We are part of the game that we love."
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