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Reuters
Hummel have toned down the details on Denmark’s World Cup jerseys and also released a black kit to protest against Qatar’s human rights record ahead of the tournament, the sportswear company said on Wednesday.
The new red kit is inspired from their Euro 92 success when Denmark won their only major title, but has its logo and details barely visible. An all black design, which Hummel said signifies the “color of mourning,” will be their third kit in Qatar.
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“We’ve toned down all the details for Denmark’s new World Cup jerseys, including our logo and iconic chevrons,” Hummel Sport said on Instagram.
“We wish to make a statement about Qatar’s human rights record and its treatment of the migrant workers that have built the country’s World Cup stadiums.”
There was no immediate response from Qatar’s World Cup organizers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, to a request for comment about Hummel’s action.
The government has said its labor system is a work in progress, but denied a 2021 Amnesty report that thousands of migrant workers were still being exploited.
After Denmark sealed qualification for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup last year, the country’s football association (DBU) said they were instituting a series of measures to shine a spotlight on human rights issues in Qatar.
The DBU said their two training kit sponsors would make way for messages critical of Qatar while they will also minimize the number of trips to the country to avoid commercial activities that promote the World Cup hosts’ events.
Denmark is not the only team to be critical of Qatar, which has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers.
England’s Football Association has also said families of migrant workers in Qatar who were injured or killed while constructing the infrastructure for this year’s World Cup should be compensated.
Last week Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said FIFA’s partners and World Cup sponsors must urge world soccer’s governing body and the Qatari government to compensate migrant workers. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Maclean)