Tim Cahill awkwardly walks out of interview after question about Qatar's human rights violations

A damning video has emerged of Australian football legend Tim Cahill refusing to answer a question about Qatar's human rights record.

The footage itself has gone viral online and it makes for pretty uncomfortable viewing.

Socceroos icon Cahill has been on the ground at the 2022 World Cup as head of delegation in Qatar – a role which has ruffled a few feathers among football fans.

From David Beckham to Gary Neville, any big-name figure who has been working alongside Qatar in an official capacity has faced some form of criticism.

Being attached to a nation which has criminalised homosexuality, has countless human rights abuses and has been accused of somewhat rigging their World Cup bid isn't exactly a great look for some of the game's most famous names.

And Cahill hasn't dodged any of that criticism himself, although this latest clip certainly won't do him any extra favours either.

Before the World Cup began, I managed to secure a brief interview with @Tim_Cahill . He happily answered my first two questions. This is what happened when I asked Australia's Head of Delegation if he supported the Socceroos' human rights video. pic.twitter.com/MSkad5IJAO

— Ben Lewis (@benlewismedia) December 4, 2022

An old interview has now surfaced on social media showing Cahill awkwardly being dragged away from a journalist after they asked him about the Australian squad's powerful message to Qatar.

Before the reporter cold even finish his sentence, Cahill glanced to someone off camera before shuffling backwards to leave the interview.

Refusing to answer, he then appeared to be escorted away by an official.

The SBS journalist, Ben Lewis, posted the footage online with an explanation of exactly what unfolded.

"Before the World Cup began, I managed to secure a brief interview with (Cahill)," Lewis tweeted.

"He happily answered my first two questions. This is what happened when I asked Australia's head of delegation if he supported the Socceroos' human rights video.

That Tim Cahill video gets more and more uncomfortable with each viewing. Speaks volumes, even though he didn’t say anything.

— Sky Blue Views (@_SkyBlueViews) December 5, 2022

Tim Cahill is the Chief Sports Officer of Qatar's Aspire Academy.

A report found the academy was used to "curry favour" with FIFA members during Qatar's World Cup bid and it's been scrutinised for a major talent scouting operation across Africa + Asia. https://t.co/wyzGpF7Not

— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) December 5, 2022

Integrity has a price.

From the hilarity of suggesting the host nation would get through to the quarter-finals to this blatant act of cowardice. The mountains of respect I had for this man have become mere hills in the last few weeks.

Weak effort @Tim_Cahill https://t.co/J1iXEzO2Mr

— David Piepers (@davepiepers) December 5, 2022

"The female voice you hear was a PR rep working for the event sponsor interjecting. We were told by Football Australia that Cahill would be happy to speak later in the week and he 'wasn't trying to avoid answering questions'. We mentioned that fact in our story that day.

"He was scheduled to do a press conference later that week. But it was cancelled at short notice due to scheduling issues. We asked repeatedly to see if a new time could be found, to no avail.

Run it back to this Tim Cahill worldie at the 2014 World Cup. 🇦🇺

🎥 @Socceroospic.twitter.com/a4D4MkJXjP

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 17, 2022

"Anyway, the interview/presser sadly never happened. After the Socceroos made (the round of 16), Cahill released a self-shot video message talking about the result. We didn't use it, given the many requests we had made to speak with him were rebuffed.

"We were told that when games started, he wanted the focus to be on the current players - totally fair.

"Now Australia's brilliant run has ended, we'd still love to hear his views on working for Qatar's organising committee and the Socceroos' stance on human rights issues."