England manager Gareth southgate believes that there is "anxiety" on the part of the players about the promotion of the COVID-19, describing it as a "very toxic issue" in which anyone who opposes one side or the other is abused.
Footballers have been collectively criticized for their reluctance to receive the vaccine and the lack of voices using their platform to encourage skeptics to be criticized. Critics point out that a lot was done to support the continuation of soccer during the pandemic and that they are now playing in packed stadiums and can travel around the world thanks to the vaccination program.
Southgate, however, explained that after supporting the vaccine program: received a torrent of abuse for shooting a video for the NHS - received a message stating that he could face action similar to the Nuremberg trials within five years. Military courts prosecuted members of Nazi Germany who participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes, after World War II.
"On other issues that we have discussed publicly as a group, we have been very clear," Southgate said. โThere is no place for racism at all. If there was abuse in your opinion, we feel it strong enough to stand our ground.
โWith vaccination there are people who feel different. Whichever side you are on, or which side you speak publicly about, you will be nailed. Some of the players may feel some anxiety about speaking, even if they feel they are on the right side of the discussion.
"We have seen a high profile [celebrities have] people [turn up] outside your home. They may be less sure of their opinion even if they have been vaccinated. They are less sure that they should speak publicly about it because if something went wrong, God forbid, later on, fingers point at them.
"It is a very complex issue, very toxic and maybe that's why people are a little more reluctant to talk."
When asked why footballers were prone to believing insane conspiracy theories about the vaccine, Southgate replied: of those theories.
โBut look, who knows, I could be sitting here five years from now and I was wrong. With some of the other issues, it has become very clear what is right and what is wrong. I've been willing to talk about it, but could you say 100% that the vaccination program is safe? Well, I couldn't because I'm not a chemist or a doctor or a scientist.
โI imagine that we would not be in the position that we are in the mass vaccination program without research being done and without governments and doctors being totally safe, so I feel comfortable taking that risk. But I recognize that others may feel less comfortable and have some anxiety about it. "
He added: โIf you're getting messages when you support the show that say 'You could be facing a Nuremberg-type trial in 10 years' and people are quite cruel with the comments, it makes you think twice before you speak. . "
On Friday, Southgate reached a five-year milestone since taking over his first game for England. Back then, he could never have predicted that he would be answering questions about launching a vaccine as the solution to a global pandemic.
Much of football and society has changed since then, not to mention that Southgate has led England to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final, and it will mark another moment in history when play Andorra on Saturday night and a referee takes over a senior England game for the first time.
Ukrainian referee Kateryna Monzul will be accompanied by assistants Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko. The video assistant will be the pioneer Stephanie Frappart, the Frenchwoman who was the first woman to referee a men's match in Ligue 1 and the French Champions League.
"This is a very important time for gender equality," Southgate said. โFor us, it is almost irrelevant. What matters is the quality of the official, not the gender. "
And then there is the little matter of what happens on the football field. Southgate is ready to rest Harry Kane and hand over the captain's armband to Kieran Trippier, with concerns about how Kane, who has suffered persistent ankle injuries, will take over the plastic court.
The problems on and off the field that the England manager will face for another five years is anyone's guess.
