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England’s players have not turned a blind eye to the human rights situation in Qatar, but they will not have a formal conversation about it until after they secure World Cup qualification.
Concerns over treatment of migrant workers in Qatar have sparked varying levels of protests by national teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and other countries.
While some individual England players have taken high-profile stands on social issues, defender Conor Coady said everyone’s first priority for the moment is reaching next year’s finals.
Group I leaders England – who face minnows San Marino – can do so with at least a point on Monday and a group discussion could soon follow.
“A conversation hasn’t been had yet because we’ve always said – obviously we are seeing quite a lot in the news at the minute – that we make sure we do our job first,” Coady told reporters.
“We make sure we try to get to that competition as quickly as we can and then I’m sure the conversation will be had with the players.
“An incredible thing that comes out of this England squad is that people try to make a difference all the time. People are trying to use that platform.
“If there are any way players can help going forward and help in different situations, I am sure us as players and part of the England setup will try to do that.
“At the minute it is tough to speak about it because it is not something we have had a real conversation about.
“We are not robots, we are humans, we are seeing things in the news that are going on every day. But we’ve always said to ourselves over the last year that the most important thing is to get to where we want to be, which is to Qatar, and honestly speak about the situation when the time is right.”
