An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar has described homosexuality as “damage in the mind”, simply two weeks earlier than the opening of the soccer match within the Gulf state.

Former Qatari footballer Khalid Salman advised a German public broadcaster that being homosexual is “haram”, or forbidden in Arabic, and that he has an issue with youngsters seeing homosexual folks.

Excerpts of the tv interview have been proven on Monday evening on ZDF’s information programme Heute Journal.

About 1.2 million worldwide guests are anticipated in Qatar for the month-long match, which has confronted criticism ever because the gas-rich emirate was chosen as host by Fifa in December 2010.

Concerns concerning the conservative nation’s therapy of homosexuals dwelling within the nation in addition to LGBTQ vacationers attending the World Cup have been expressed for a very long time.

In the interview, Mr Salman mentioned that homosexuality “is a spiritual harm”.

“During the World Cup, many things will come here to the country. Let’s talk about gays,” Mr Salman mentioned in English, which is concurrently dubbed into German within the TV section.

“The most important thing is, everybody will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules,” he added.

The interview was lower brief by a press officer of the World Cup organising committee after Mr Salman expressed his views on homosexuals, ZDF reported.