What role does football have in the promotion of human rights? Not much I’d suggest if this world cup, the next two, and our new shirt sponsor is anything to go by. The announcement of the new Wednesday sponsor, Azerbaijan: Land of Fire, means we have joined with Atlético Madrid and RS Lens in promoting this unknown quantity of a resource rich, ex-Soviet, Eurovision winning country in the Caucasus.

But I find it all very unsettling. When Newcastle United revealed that Wonga were their sponsor people were in uproar about the fact that a company that exists to wilfully exploit the poor could have such an active role in football. But remember when one man, Papiss Cisse, refused to wear the shirt because his religion prohibited him from wearing the logo of a company that received interest from loans? Can you remember the hate, bile and disregard a man got for daring to have a view on something that can cruelly and slowly destroy families? Instead of supporting him in his stance, people went out of the way to shame and discredit him, and all in the name of allowing people to profit from those who can least afford to be profited from.

With the La Liga champions, and now Wednesday, running onto pitches bearing the logo of a country that has been criticised for its human rights record, what message is football sending to the non-footballing world about our priorities? If acceptance into our footballing world, onto our TV screens and into our newspapers can be bought by people who seek to silence others, then what chance have those who scream out for help, but have no money, got of being heard?

Amnesty International chronicles human rights abuses in countries around the world, so have a read of what the Government of Azerbaijan  get up to www.amnesty.org/en/region/azerbaijan In this instance, I don’t that think “…but no country is perfect…” is a good enough response, because in this instance there is a very real monetary value on the human rights of others. While I don’t particularly see the importance in a shirt sponsor in the sense of advertising, let’s face it – how many of us rushed out to buy a Mr Tom bar or a Sanderson computer, I do see the relevance in terms of what we as a community endorse. Human rights should be an issue on the lips of every fan across the country because if we speak together, and speak loud enough, we can make a real difference.

Given that the 2014 World Cup has come at the expense of the poor people in the favela’s of Brazil, that the 2018 World Cup is coming at the expense of human rights for the LGBT community, and that the 2022 World Cup is already covered in the blood of immigrant workers from Nepal who are building infrastructure in Qatar – it would take a brave club to use their position to stand up for the rights of anyone who wasn’t directly putting their hand in their pockets to support them. Sadly, we’re not one of them. Football should not be a route to societal acceptance for those who cannot fairly, legally and respectfully craft their way in the world – but time and time again it is proving to be so.

I have supported Wednesday for many years, my first game being 0-0 on Wednesday 20 September 1989 in the League Cup at the grand old age of four. And while I want every success for Wednesday on the pitch, and as a community of people off the pitch, I’d rather have the ethical high ground than the big money, because ultimately, if we stand for nothing, we fall for everything.