Qatar Urges Players To Get Vaccinated Ahead Of 2022 World Cup

2022 World Cup hosts Qatar are attempting to enforce mandatory vaccinations for players hoping to travel to next year's December tournament.

According to The Athletic, FIFA and Qatar's medical authorities are in talks over the latter's desire to ensure that every player who intends to travel to the country is double jabbed.

Fans won't be immune from such measures either, with the Qatari government already announcing plans to only allow fully vaccinated supporters to enter the country.

Over the past year, many professional athletes, footballers included, have eschewed COVID-19 vaccines. Should a majority of footballers continue to decline vaccination, FIFA will face the very real possibility of a World Cup without some of the sport's biggest names.

One only needs to look at the Premier League for evidence of how low the vaccine uptake is among elite footballers. Only three clubs have divulged details about the current vaccination status of their players.

Wolves claim that 100% of their first-team squad are double jabbed; and yet, throughout the rest of the league, vaccine uptake is thought to be well below the UK average.

Manchester United, for instance, have a number of players who are "not sure" about getting jabbed, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

FIFA has responded to Qatar's wishes by reinforcing its commitment to public health and safety.

"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar, as the host country, will provide the safeguards required to protect the health and safety of all involved in the competition," a FIFA spokesman told The Athletic.

"All attendees must follow the travel advice from the Qatari authorities and the latest guidance from the Ministry of Public Health. Full information on COVID-19 safety measures will be communicated to all client groups as we approach the competition."Some alternative methods of limiting COVID-19 transfusion are being discussed, such as requiring players to test negative every three days - something UEFA mandated to good effect throughout Euro 2020. It remains to be seen whether Qatar will succeed in its bid to have a fully vaccinated World Cup, but the state's hard-line stance certainly presents FIFA with an ethical dilemma to contend with ahead of next year's tournament.Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: 2022 World Cup, FIFA, Qatar, World Cup

Tom Fenton