Former England international John Barnes slammed critics who have questioned World Cup hosts Qatar's treatment of migrant workers, saying detractors of the country had turned a blind eye to their progress on human rights.
Qatar, which was awarded hosting rights for the World Cup in 2010, has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers.
"While there is still a long way to go, the situation is streets ahead of where they were ten years ago - with improvements in housing, facilities and wages," Barnes, who made 79 appearances for England between 1983-1995,"It's interesting to observe that some of those who are making a lot of noise now have had little to say about the development of Qatar over the previous 20 years.
Captains from seven European nations had planned to show support for LGBTQ people in Qatar during matches by wearing 'OneLove' armbands, but those plans were scrapped after FIFA threatened to imposeBarnes condemned Qatar's stance on LGBT rights, but said that visitors to the country needed to respect their laws, adding that boycotting the World Cup "would have a far greater impact" than wearing an armband.
"The rainbow colours and OneLove armband promote something that is illegal in Qatar, even if we think it shouldn't be. Visitors to our country would not be allowed to promote something that's illegal."
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