Australia's men's soccer team on Thursday released a collective statement criticizing the human rights record of upcoming FIFA World Cup host Qatar, becoming the first World Cup team to explicitly do so.

In a video message shared on the team's website and social media, players raised concerns over the treatment of migrant workers and restrictions on the LGBTQI+ community in the Middle Eastern country.

The video, which features 16 players, calls for the establishment of a migrant resource center, an effective remedy for those who have been denied their rights, and the decriminalization of all same-sex relationships.

Same-sex relations are punishable by up to seven years in prison in Qatar, according to Human Rights Watch.

"These are the basic rights that should be afforded to all and will ensure continued progress in Qatar and a legacy that goes well beyond the final whistle of the 2022 FIFA World Cup," said one of the players in the video.

A separate statement issued by Football Australia acknowledged "significant progress and legislative reforms" on workers' rights in recent years, but notes that the tournament has been "associated with suffering for some migrant workers and their families."

In February 2021, British newspaper the Guardian suggested 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in the decade since Qatar won the hosting bid, citing findings compiled from government sources.

But the Qatari government characterized the total as misleading, the newspaper said, as the figure refers to total deaths of workers from those countries regardless of occupation or place of work.

Australia players celebrate after qualifying for a fifth straight football World Cup with a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Peru in an intercontinental playoff in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on June 13, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The event's organizing committee states there have been 37 deaths among workers directly related to construction of World Cup stadiums, of which 34 are classified as "non-work related," according to the paper.

The statement by Football Australia also added that while assurances have been given by Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani that LGBTQI+ fans will be safely welcomed for the tournament, the sporting body hopes that the openness can continue beyond the tournament.

"As the most multicultural, diverse, and inclusive sport in our country, we believe everyone should be able to feel safe and be their true authentic selves," the statement said.

Other World Cup teams from Germany, Denmark and Norway have protested against Qatar's human rights record through slogans on t-shirts and jerseys.

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