Netherlands join Germany & Norway in protesting against Qatar in first home World Cup qualifier
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Updated 27/03/2021 at 20:36 GMT
The Netherlands followed in the footsteps of both Norway and Germany in raising human rights issues in Qatar, the hosts of the next World Cup. The gesture received a good reception from the limited number of fans in the Johan Cruyff Arena, who had all tested negative for Covid-19 and were taking part in a government pilot scheme.
Line up of Holland wearing special shirt to ask attention for the human rights in Qatar during the World Cup Qualifier match between Holland v Latvia at the Johan Cruijff Arena on March 27, 2021 in Amsterdam Netherlands
Image credit: Getty Images
Netherlands wore t-shirts highlighting human rights issues in Qatar as they played their first home World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Saturday.
The oil-rich nation in the middle east was a controversial choice for football's biggest international tournament when it was selected as host back in 2010 due to its lack of history in the game and position in geopolitics.
Amnesty have called for FIFA to use its soft power to ensure that the plight of migrant workers, several hundred of whom have died while building stadia for the tournament, is improved significantly.
The start of qualification for the World Cup last week saw both Germany and Norway make a stand in favour of human rights in the Gulf Nation and another of Europe's biggest teams have made their voices heard.
Prior to the match in Amsterdam, the Oranje line-up wore T-Shirts with the slogan "Football Supports Change", echoing the sentiments expressed by their rivals Germany and Norway, who both sported slogans with a message in support of human rights prior to their matches against Iceland and Gibraltar in midweek.
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Netherlands players wear t-shirts supporting change ahead of Latvia clash
The match was played in front of a limited number of supporters at the Johan Cruyff Arena, all of whom had tested negative for Covid-19, who greeted their players' stand with applause.
The supporters, who were taking part in a government pilot to explore the safe return of fans to stadia, left happy with their side getting a much-needed 2-0 win.
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