AARHUS, Denmark (AP) A FIFA director believes some criticism of Qatar's human rights record is hypocritical, and questioned if the contentious Guantanamo Bay prison should similarly be taken into consideration when the United States is bidding for the World Cup.
Deaths in extreme heat and alleged human rights abuses of workers in Qatar have been highlighted as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA communications director Walter De Gregorio is concerned there is "human rights hypocrisy," with football seemingly expected to demand higher standards from a country than some governments do before doing business with them.
At the Play the Game conference in Denmark, De Gregorio asked where do you "draw the line" when weighing up a country's human rights record before deciding it can host the World Cup.
De Gregorio said: "Guantanamo Bay, do you have to take that into consideration, would the U.S. be a candidate?"
