Following on from a deal that was announced earlier in the week between the English and Qatari Football Associations, the English FA have announced they will raise the issue of human rights abuses and homophobia with their Middle Eastern counterparts.
In particular, the deal has raised concerns over the treatment of Qatar's migrant workers and the fact that homosexuality is still illegal. The FA hopes that it can "positively influence football in Qatar."
Fabien Goa, Amnesty International's Special Advisor for Labour Rights and Sporting Events, said: "Deeper ties between the FA and Qatar 2022 means even greater responsibility on the FA to speak out about the severe human rights risks faced by the migrant workers delivering the tournament."
"Qatar has recently made commitments over reforming its abusive migrant labour system, and now the FA must play its part in making sure Qatar delivers on its promises," he continued.
Meanwhile, FA Chairman Greg Clarke has lamented the slow progress in engaging with homosexual footballers in his home country. There are no openly gay players in English football and when asked why, Clarke said: "To be perfectly frank, they are restrained from engaging with me."
When Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup, Clarke described it as "the worst moment in Fifa's history," but hopefully some positives can be made under the new partnership.