England World Cup sponsors are under pressure to take a stand against Qatar’s human rights record

English sponsors are under mounting pressure to take a stand against the human rights controversies overshadowing Qatar 2022 after the Danish kit manufacturers said they “don’t want to be visible at a tournament”.

Sportswear company Hummel released a black-and-white kit, which effectively camouflages their signature logo, yesterday for the World Cup in protest against the host nation, whose human rights record has been slammed in the run-up to the tournament.

Other companies are now being tipped to follow suit; with their decision described a “watershed” moment yesterday.

Denmark unveiled black-and-white World Cup kit to protest Qatar’s human rights record

However, it is unlikely that England’s uniform sponsor will take similar measures. The fact that the sportswear giants have contracts with multiple teams participating in the tournament makes it complicated for Nike to take a similar stance to Hummel.

Denmark is the only team to have Hummel as a kit manufacturer at the World Cup.

Speaking to Sportsmail Ben Peppi, a sports advertising expert at JMW Solicitors, Hummel’s stance puts considerable pressure on other companies to follow suit.

“This is a turning point for the World Cup, a clear stance visible on the pitch – it’s a very strong PR message from Hummel that is certainly putting pressure on others to follow suit,” Peppi said.

“This won’t be the last company to do this – it’s a huge stance against FIFA.”

It remains to be seen whether the official partners of the England team and the Football Association will make similar statements in the run-up to the tournament.

Denmark’s third kit for the tournament is an all-black ‘color of mourning’ jersey

The FA and England are sponsored by some of the world’s most recognizable brands: Barclays, Disney, EE, Coca Cola, PayPal and M&S all of which are listed on the governing body’s website as official sponsors.

However, it is up to each individual company to decide whether to reduce their visibility around the World Cup due to the inhumanity associated with the Qatari bid.

Pursuing lucrative sponsorship deals for national federations like the FA would indeed become increasingly difficult as brands are fully aware of the potential for bad publicity given the negative publicity surrounding the World Cup.

Kit supplier Hummel has issued a statement saying it is a ‘protest’ against the host country

‘This has a trickle down effect on sponsors. More due diligence is being carried out by companies looking at partnerships within football,” Peppi added.

“If future tournaments are hosted by countries that have the potential for bad PR, that will be an important consideration. What Hummel has done for 100 percent puts pressure on companies.’

A Hummel statement on Instagram read: “With the new Danish national team jerseys, we wanted to send a double message.

After Denmark sealed qualifiers for the World Cup, the country’s FA said they were introducing a series of measures to raise awareness of human rights issues in Qatar.

“They are inspired not only by Euro 92, a tribute to Denmark’s greatest football success, but also a protest against Qatar and its human rights record.

“That’s why we’ve toned down all the details for Denmark’s new World Cup jerseys, including our logo and iconic chevrons. We don’t want to be visible during a tournament that has killed thousands of people.

“We fully support the Danish national team, but that is not the same as supporting Qatar as the host country. We believe that sport should bring people together. And if not, we want to make a statement.’