Beth Mead’s attitude to the men’s World Cup that concluded in such thrilling style six days ago is pretty much the consensus I’ve found shared by most fans. Great football, thrills and upsets galore, steady progress by England (in performances, if not the quarter-final exit), shame about the homophobic hosts. ⁠ ⁠ “I don’t think it should have been there,” Mead tells me, speaking from her parents’ home near Whitby, still buzzing the morning after winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the trophy now in pride of place on her mum and dad’s dining room table. It is testament to a fabulous night for women’s sport. Thanks to the Lionesses’ triumph at the Euros in the summer, women won the individual and team categories at the awards, and their coach, Sarina Wiegman, was coach of the year.⁠ ⁠ “Human rights haven’t been great,” says Mead, expanding on her critique of Qatar. “There were people dying to build stadiums that are going to be knocked down or stood empty. Their attitude towards sexuality, how they are towards women, I don’t agree with it.” ⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Click the link in our bio for the full interview⁠ ⁠ 📸 Dan Kennedy