Beth Mead: England forward says holding World Cup in Qatar is 'disappointing'

England forward Beth Mead has said it is "disappointing" the men's World Cup is being held in Qatar.

Mead, who is openly gay, does not think the Gulf state is the "right place" for the tournament to be staged.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar because it is considered immoral under Islamic Sharia law.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, 27-year-old Mead said that was "the complete opposite to what I believe and respect".

"It's not something I will be backing or promoting. It's disappointing in the sense that there's no respect on a lot of levels, even though it's a game of football," said the Arsenal forward.

Qatar, which follows strict Muslim laws, has been criticised about its stance on same-sex relationships and human rights issues.

Beth Mead (right) and Vivianne Miedema play for Arsenal in the Women's Super League

Punishments for being homosexual include fines, prison sentences of up to seven years - and even death.

Peaceful protests have been planned by some players at the World Cup, which begins on 20 November. England's Harry Kane and nine other captains of European teams will wear 'One Love' armbands.

Qatar's World Cup organisers state "everyone is welcome" to visit the country to watch the football, and that no-one will be discriminated against.

Chief executive Nasser al Khater said the government would not change its laws on homosexuality and asked visitors to "respect our culture".

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Mead, who won player of the tournament and the Golden Boot when England won the European Championship in the summer, said: "Although I'm cheering for the boys who are going to play football there, from the minute it was announced I thought it wasn't the best idea."

Mead is in a relationship with Arsenal team-mate Vivianne Miedema. She said they had never felt it necessary to release a statement or even publicly come out because it is just "normal life" for them.

"We've made it the norm from day one," she said. "We haven't felt the need to come out and give a statement of who we're with and what we're doing, we've just classed it as normal life.

"If I want to put a picture of me and Viv on my Instagram, I do but I don't caption it: 'This is my girlfriend, this is what we're doing.'

"In the men's game they feel they have to make a statement of the situation. It's been a culture, and that culture needs to shift."

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels is currently the only openly gay male footballer at an English Football League club.

"We're in the 21st century and you fall in love with who you fall in love with. It doesn't matter who they are. That's the perception we need to get across," Mead added.

"Is it a generation thing? Is it a culture thing in the game? I would love to help try and bridge that gap to just try and make it the norm."

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