DOHA, Qatar -- Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine has sympathised with his European counterparts that dropped their plans to wear a OneLove anti-discrimination armband under external pressure and revealed that the Socceroos' own statement on human rights was timed to expressly avoid such a scenario.
The Socceroos became the first nation that had qualified to publicly call for change in Qatar when they released a video on Oct. 27 featuring their reflections on the education they had undertaken about the situation and called for the establishment of a migrant resource centre and remedy-seeking mechanisms as well as decriminalising all same-sex relationships so the World Cup leaves a legacy "that football can truly be proud of."
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However, before Irvine, who routinely uses his platform to speak out on social issues and promote inclusion, members of Graham Arnold's 26-player squad that have spoken to the media since their arrival in Qatar have dismissed follow-up questions surrounding human rights, saying they have made their position clear in the video and declaring their preference to focus on the tournament, which began with a 4-1 loss to France on Tuesday evening.
The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands abandoned their plans to make their own statement by wearing a "OneLove" armband in their World Cup opening games under pressure from FIFA, who confirmed that players wearing it would be subject to a yellow-card sanction. Ahead of their fixture against Japan, German players covered their mouths in protest at the ongoing row over the armband.
"It's a tough one to dissect, it's been changing by the day," Irvine said. "Changes through regulations and changes through decisions that teams have made and players have made. When all is said and done there will be a time to really dissect how those messages have gone out and the way that they chose to do it.
"All I can say is speaking from [the Socceroos] point of view, and I'm proud of our squad for the clear position that we took coming into this tournament, [one] that didn't leave any possibility of having that change thrown on us at a late stage. That's why we chose to do that and the timing that we did.
"It's difficult to speak for those other countries and I know if I started on a yellow card I'd be in a right pickle, so I can totally understand how that affects different players. But I think when you put yourself in a position where you've maybe not made your position totally clear and the gesture that you have chosen to take, if there are certain different circumstances around that it becomes difficult to react, especially in such a short space of time."
Australian players' union Professional Footballer Australia facilitated members of both the Socceroos and Australia's senior women's side the Matildas in pursuing their education, as well as the production and release of the video. Its co-chief executive, former Matilda Kate Gill, told ESPN that FIFA had a duty to respect human rights.
"The players arrived at their position after engaging with human rights experts, the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, FIFPRO, FIFA and most importantly migrant workers themselves," Gill told ESPN. "Hearing directly from migrant workers was hugely impactful and to a large extent shaped the players' final position.
"The workers they spoke with urged the players to use their platform and voice to ensure a positive and lasting legacy for the World Cup in Qatar. We are always incredibly proud of our members. The Socceroos' courage in using their platform to advocate for the interests of others have illustrated how they can be an inspiration for many both on and off the pitch.
"This isn't just about Qatar. It's about football respecting human rights. That should be non-negotiable: FIFA has a duty and an obligation to respect all internationally recognised human rights, which have been in their statutes since 2016. They now need to live up to these commitments."
Australia, alongside New Zealand, is set to host the Women's World Cup next year and Irvine indicated that he hoped that the Socceroos would continue to use their platform to speak out on issues of human rights and social justice.
Poverty and high incarceration rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders are disproportionately higher in Australia, and the country has come under pressure from human rights activists over its treatment of asylum seekers kept in offshore detention.
"This has been a long process and a journey that the national team has been on as players," Irvine said. "This process of leading up to the statement that we made and being a part of conversations of all the organisations that work in these spaces.
"I hope it's something that as a team, we do continue to talk about. I've commented in the past about problems that we have at home as much as the issues that we've talked about here. Obviously as players and being a part of this tournament we are so intrinsically linked to these issues at this time, that's why we felt it was [important to make a statement].
"People talk about the hypocrisy of talking about these issues and not talking about the ones that happen at home but I hope that's something that we continue to explore in the future and it's part of our growth as a team and as individuals. That's something to look at moving forward."