Justin Campaign statement on FIFA's decision to award Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups

The Justin Campaign is deeply concerned by FIFA's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

Both of these countries have extremely poor records on the issue of LGBT rights. Only last year, the mayor of Moscow deemed a gay pride march in the capital as "satanic", while participants in the march, including Peter Tatchell, were arrested.

In Qatar, homosexuality is still illegal with both lashes and imprisonment often the punishment.

Therefore, despite their apparent commitment to humanitarian values and the promotion of global solidarity through football, FIFA is sending out a message loud and clear that the rights of the global LGBT community do not even register on their agenda.

This institutional indifference to the rights of LGBT people is symptomatic of the challenge facing all of us who are fighting against homophobia in football and it is a stark and sad reminder of just how much work we still need to do.