Fifa chiefs Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura have sent a letter to all 32 World Cup nations pleading with them to stick to football when the tournament kicks-off.

The build-up to the competition, which starts in Qatar on November 20, has been overshadowed by a raft of social issues surrounding the Islamic nation’s human rights record. Thousands of migrant workers are alleged to have died whilst building the infrastructure for the tournament, while homosexuality is banned in Qatar.

Footballing nations around the world are under enormous pressure to use the tournament to highlight the issues that have shrouded the lead up to the World Cup.

It is said that Fifa president Infantino and general secretary Samoura have signed a letter that has been sent to all participating nations asking for everyone involved to enjoy the festival of football and not to focus on the issues that have engulfed the tournament so far.

The letter is said to state that Fifa is not a political organisation and are not in a position to moralise and judge. A passage from the letter reads, “Everyone is welcome regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality.”

“It’s not about this generation’s players to say now that ‘we don’t go, or we don’t do that. The decision [to hold the tournament in Qatar] was made by other people, and if you want to criticise anybody, criticise the people who made the decision.”