Khalid Salman, Qatar’s ambassador to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, said homosexuality is a “mental weakness,” CNN reported.

The former football player said this in an interview for ZDF in Doha less than two weeks before the start of the final tournament.

During the interview, Salman talked about the fact that homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. He declared that being gay is “haram,” meaning forbidden by Islamic law.

“The most important thing is that everyone will accept that they will come here. But they will have to accept our rules. This is mental retardation. Children can learn something wrong,” said the former football player, after which the interview was stopped by a representative of the World Cup organizing committee.

Khalid Salman played football in the 1980s and 1990s and participated in the 1984 Olympics.

His statements about homosexuality drew criticism from human rights activists. Rasha Younes of Human Rights Watch called Salman’s comments “harmful and unacceptable.”

“The failure of the Qatari government to counter this misinformation is having a significant impact on the lives of LGBT residents in Qatar,” – clarified Yunes.

Salman’s statements come in the context of Qatar being accused of human rights abuses and the way it treats foreign workers, which has also sparked numerous calls to boycott the contest, News.ro writes.

The World Cup will be held from November 20 to December 18.