Xavi Hernandez compares Qatar and Saudi Arabia to Spain | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has been outspoken in his comments on the Middle East, and back in Saudi Arabia, he has again defended football travelling to Asia.

Xavi was an official ambassador for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and spent six years as a player and manager at Al Sadd. Often he spoke out in favour of Qatar, saying that despite the fact there was no democracy, the people there are happy and their model of governance worked better than in Spain.

Asked what he thought of the Spanish Supercup being hosted in Saudi Arabia, Xavi was overwhelmingly positive. He told the press that he has a good relationship with Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales and that it was an honour to be in the Kingdom.

“I think it benefits all of the teams and we are here for the good of Spanish football.”

“We are professionals in this sport. This is a business, there is a context that makes us come here and for the good of Spanish football we come here. All this benefits us all, clubs with financial problems earn money. There was also a lot of criticism of Qatar and then it has been seen that it is not that bad. Arabia has things to improve, but that’s the same as in Spain, where we have 200 hundred things to improve. Everyone deserves that football should go around the world.”

The Barcelona manager was referring to widespread criticism of Qatar for their lack of equal rights, where people can be imprisoned for their sexuality. In the build up to the World Cup, attention was also raised to the fact that many migrant workers had their passports taken away and lost their lives in Qatar building the stadiums.

This of course directly contradicts the club’s stance on equal rights. Barcelona have frequently moved to promote equal rights and used the rainbow symbol to promote LGBTQIA+ rights while Xavi has been there.