Lloris Wants Football To Be The Focus At Qatar 2022

Hosts Qatar have been widely criticised for their human rights record and their aversion towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Some European countries, including France, will have their captains wear rainbow-hearted adorned armbands to raise awareness for the OneLove campaign against discrimination during the tournament. 

But Lloris would ideally love to leave the off-field issues to politicians and focus on the upcoming games as footballers, insisting that any criticism towards Qatar should have started back in 2010 when they were first awarded the hosting rights.

FIFA have already advised players to focus on football and respect the culture of the host nation and Lloris feels the same way as football's governing body.

FIFA have already advised players to focus on football and respect the culture of the host nation and Lloris feels the same way as football's governing body and French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet.

"I have my personal opinion and that is in line with that of the president [French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet].

"When we welcome foreigners to France, we want them to follow our rules and respect our culture. I will do the same when I go to Qatar. We may not agree with that, but I will show respect," Lloris told reporters.

"We cannot remain insensitive to these subjects. We are asking more and more of the players.

"But I believe that we must keep the focus on the game. Outside, everyone is free to express themselves and defend their opinions."

"There’s too much pressure on the players. We are at the bottom of the chain.

"If you have to apply pressure, first of all it had to be 10 years ago. Now it’s too late.

"You have to understand that for players this opportunity happens every four years and you want every chance to succeed. The focus has to be on the field. The rest is for politicians. We are athletes."