Qatari authorities have banned a protester who ran on to the pitch during Portugal’s match with Uruguay to express support for Ukraine, Iran’s women and gay rights from attending any more World Cup matches.
The man, who waved a rainbow flag and wore a shirt saying “Save Ukraine” on one side and “Respect for Iranian woman [sic]” on the other, has also had his Hayya card taken from him. The card doubles as a permit for international fans to enter Qatar and allows them to attend games and travel for free on the metro.
A Supreme Committee spokesperson told the Guardian: “Following the pitch invasion that took place during last night’s Portugal v Uruguay match, we can confirm that the individual involved was released shortly after being removed from the pitch. His embassy has been informed.
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“As a consequence of his actions, and as is standard practice, his Hayya card has been cancelled and he has been banned from attending future matches at this tournament.” Security staff quickly intervened and moved away the protester, who was supported afterwards by Portugal’s Rúben Neves.
“We know what has happened around this World Cup,” said Neves. “It’s a normal thing to happen. Of course, we are all with them as well. Iran as well, because I saw his shirt. I hope nothing happens to the boy because we understand his message and I think all the world understood it as well.”
The tournament has been surrounded by controversy that started with Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and its LGBTQ+ community. Since the World Cup began issues have also included Wales fans having rainbow hats confiscated or removed by security guards and some Iran supporters being told not to wear T-shirts backing anti-government protests in their country. The head of the organising committee, Hassan al-Thawadi, described the rainbow flag as divisive in an interview on Monday.
The head of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee has accused teams who wanted to wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup of sending a “very divisive message” to the Islamic and Arab world.
Hassan al-Thawadi’s comments came as the UK sports minister Stuart Andrew said he would wear the rainbow-coloured armband at the England v Wales match on Tuesday.
The Conservative frontbencher, who is gay, said it was “really unfair” that Fifa had threatened sporting sanctions at the 11th hour against seven European teams who had planned to wear the anti-discrimination symbol in Qatar, forcing them to protest in other ways.
“I want to show support and I was delighted to see that the German minister who attended a recent match has worn it, I think it is important that I do so,” he added.
However, Thawadi – secretary general of the supreme World Cup committee for delivery and legacy – said he had an “issue” with the armband because he saw it as a protest against Islamic values and an Islamic country hosting such a major event.
“If the teams decided to do it throughout the entire season, that is one thing,” he said, when asked if he felt nervous about armbands. “But if you’re coming to make a point, or a statement in Qatar, that is something I have an issue with. And it goes back to the simple fact that this is a part of the world that has its own set of values.
“This is not Qatar I’m talking about, it’s the Arab world,” he added. “For the teams to come and preach or make statements, that’s fine. But what you’re essentially saying is you’re protesting an Islamic country hosting an event. Where does that end? Does that mean no Islamic country can never be able to participate in anything?
“There’s going to be different values and different views coming in. So, for me, if you’re going to come specifically to make a statement here in Qatar – or specifically addressed to Qatar and by extension, the Islamic world – it leaves a very divisive message.”
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar and while organisers and Fifa have repeated the message that “everyone is welcome” during the World Cup, it is unclear whether laws that criminalise acts such as kissing in public have been suspended.
Fans attending matches have also had rainbow items, including T-shirts and Wales bucket hats, confiscated by officials, before Fifa later said they should be allowed in stadiums.
But Thawadi said organisers only wanted visitors to respect the culture and religion of the region. “These values are regional,” he added. “It’s for the Islamic world, it’s for the Arab world, it’s for the Middle East. There are certain things that we will not agree upon. But let us find a way of coexisting and moving forward, one way or the other. That is where mutual respect is fundamental.”
In his interview with the TalkSport UK radio station, Thawadi also defended the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, for his pre-tournament remarks in which he said he felt Qatari, Arabic, African, gay and disabled, before warning western countries that they were in no position to give morality lessons to Qatar given their past and current behaviour.
“For a lot of people in Qatar and the Arab world what he said to a large extent reflected the frustration of 13 years being presented in a certain way in the media,” said Thawadi.
“A lot of Arabs that I’ve talked to have admired what he said. It addressed the fact that people did feel that the outside world is coming and passing judgment unequivocally on our part of the world – on us as people, on the Arab world and the Middle East.”
The saga of the OneLove armbands that were going to be worn by a number of team captains has been annoying and frustrating from start to limp finish. In many ways, the clamp down by Fifa on the wearing of them is ironic, too, because everyone within the federations who put together this show of support has worked hard to build a new OneLove brand almost to detach from the rainbow, to dilute and depoliticise an issue that is unavoidably political.
The whole episode was disappointing because even the most watered-down attempt to show that football should be an inclusive and welcoming space was too much. For Fifa to threaten players and the federations for trying to promote a symbolic message of unity, togetherness, tolerance and inclusion goes against all the values and principles that it says it stands for and wants to promote as the global governing body of the game.
There have been plenty who have argued that players, fans and federations should “stick to football” and that “we should respect the culture” of the host nation, but this shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the issues. If we accepted segregation as part of the culture of a place or time then we would still be living with anti-interracial marriage laws and who knows what else.
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Arguing this is the liberal west trying to impose its values and principles on a country and a competition that don’t want it also hugely negates the lived experiences of any LGBTQ+ players competing in the tournament, as well as the LGBTQ+ fans in the stands. Perhaps most criminally, it also lets down representatives of the LGBTQ+ communities within Qatar, who need global support and the platform of the World Cup to have a voice about what’s going on for them and the freedoms they’re fighting for.
The accusation that it is racist to discuss these issues because it shows a lack of respect for Qatari or Islamic culture is wrong, but there has been a tinge of racism regarding discussions. In many forums the narrative becomes that this is the uncultured Middle East v the progressive west, but that undermines the issues and leads to whataboutery. We should not be coming across as holier than thou but acknowledging that problems can exist all over the world, in all societies, at the same time.
In Britain we have a lot of issues. I would argue that rising homelessness and people not being able to afford energy is also a human rights abuse, that people should not have to be suffering in the way they are because of the negligence of the government.
All of these things can exist at the same time. I can be critical of our government, our country and the way things are operating here as well as being critical of other countries. Human rights abuses and discrimination should not even be up for debate. It should be a given that you take an ethical and moral position on these issues, but at the first sign of a pushback from Fifa the federations folded.
The former England international Alex Scott wears the OneLove armband in Qatar. Photograph: BBC
There are huge pressures on players. Many don’t just support themselves financially but their extended families, too. And there is a real feeling of powerlessness. There is a feeling that whatever they do, nothing will change. That is why federations need to take a stand, as governing bodies but also in supporting their players’ voices.
If everyone gave up at the first hurdle in the fight for freedoms and equality, then where would be today? Look at John Carlos, Tommie Smith and Peter Norman, who stood on the 200m podium at the 1968 Olympics and risked everything – Smith and Carlos raised their fists in support of the Black Power movement, with all three donning badges in support for the Olympic Project for Human Rights.
It’s a sacrifice, and sometimes it is a personal sacrifice, but the long‑term effect and the impact that acts of solidarity or protest can have are far reaching. We should be taking pride in the position we want to stand on and should be reflecting on how we want to be seen in the next 100 years.
The decision to set the armbands aside in the face of sporting sanctions is incredibly weak and stands in stark contrast to the actions of the players of Iran. They have risked being disowned by their own nation, their own government and put themselves, their families and their friends in potential danger by not singing the national anthem before the game against England in support of the protests back home. They understand, though, that the World Cup is a platform and an opportunity to bring global attention to a very important and critical issue within their own country. That shows courage and strength and it should empower others.
If a women’s team had been put in the position of the teams involved and been threatened with sporting sanctions, I feel like the response would have been different. Why? Because as women we’ve been used to having to sacrifice and make difficult choices just to be able to play football, even when we know there’s a consequence. Indeed, the two people to wear the armband despite Fifa’s condemnation have been women – the former England international Alex Scott and Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser.
The Germany players covering their mouths in protest against the threat of sanctions and a number of federations and players speaking out strongly against the pressure to not wear the armband should be applauded, but it’s not enough. Every day, migrant workers, women and LGBTQ+ people put their lives on the line just by existing in Qatar. Not being able to stomach sporting sanctions in that context is incredibly weak.
The Football Association of Wales has been reassured by Fifa that supporters with rainbow-coloured clothing and flags will be allowed to enter Friday’s match against Iran and that the policy will be applied across all World Cup venues.
The FAW held urgent talks with the tournament organisers after Wales staff and fans had multicoloured bucket hats, shoelaces and wristbands confiscated before their Group B opener against the USA. Wales were among the nations to U-turn on wearing the rainbow-coloured OneLove armband in support of LGBTQ+ rights after Fifa threatened sporting sanctions.
Fifa and the Qatari authorities have been in dialogue after the FAW sought urgent clarity over the circumstances that led to supporters being ordered to remove rainbow-coloured clothing if they were to enter the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
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The FAW’s chief executive, Noel Mooney, described Fifa’s action over the armband as “cheap” and “pretty low”, adding: “We were told this was going to be a really inclusive, welcoming, warm World Cup. That is not what I have seen, I have to say. To have our fans having their bucket hats taken off them is just appalling. Their voice was taken away, the players’ voices were taken away by the armband. For that we are deeply disappointed.”
Before receiving assurances from Fifa on Thursday, Wales made a point of reiterating their inclusive message to fans by displaying rainbow-coloured flags at their Al Sadd Sports Club training base. A large rainbow flag is draped from a pitch-side tent and corner flags decorated with the Welsh dragon were changed in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
An FAW statement said: “In response to the FAW, Fifa has confirmed that fans with Rainbow Wall bucket hats and rainbow flags will be allowed entry to the stadium for Cymru’s match against Iran on Friday. All World Cup venues have been contacted and instructed to follow the agreed rules and regulations. The FAW urges Fifa to adhere to their message that everybody will be welcome in Qatar during the World Cup and continue to highlight any further human rights issues.”
Germany’s players placed hands over their mouths and wore rainbow stripes on their warm-up tops and boots in a powerful statement of defiance against Fifa before their Group E match against Japan.
Their message was reinforced by the German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, who also wore a OneLove armband, which promotes tolerance, diversity and LGBTQ+ rights, as she sat next to Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino.
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Germany are one of seven nations, including England and Wales, who were banned by Fifa from wearing the armband on Sunday – and warned they would face sporting sanctions if they defied football’s governing body.
In a powerful statement published shortly after the game started, the German Football Association warned Fifa: “Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position.”
German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, with the OneLove armband beside Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino. Photograph: Friedemann Vogel/EPA
It added: “We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect. Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard.
“It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us.”
Six of Germany’s starting XI, including Ilkay Gündogan and Manuel Neuer, had rainbow colours on their boots.
The fear of sporting sanctions – including captains receiving a yellow card at kickoff – had led the seven nations to backtrack from their promise to wear the OneLove in their World Cup matches.
Rainbow colours on the boots of several Germany players before their game against Japan. Photograph: Ricardo Mazalán/AP
However Danish football federation chief executive, Jakob Jensen, confirmed that those nations were now exploring legal options to overturn Fifa’s decision – although he ruled out going to the court of arbitration for sport at this stage.
“Now we’re looking into what are the legal options, we are co-ordinating our discussions on that as well, but at this point it is not possible to go to Cas,” he said. “You can’t go through Cas now and I think this is some rumour running around the press.
He added: “The Germans are looking into the legal possibilities. It’s very different than going through Cas. If you want to go through Cas you need to complain within the Fifa system first, you need to go to the appeals body, then you can go through Cas
“About the One Love armband, together with the German FA and other countries, the German team wanted to do this and to take a stand.
“But now Fifa have threatened us basically with sanctions. The associations that played on Monday [England and Wales], it was very short notice. If you want to run a campaign like this together, you should stick to your decisions.”
On Wednesday Fifa said it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Ecuador over homophobic chanting by their fans in their World Cup opener against Qatar.
Germany’s football federation has said it plans legal steps against Fifa over its banning of OneLove rainbow armbands at the World Cup as it faced the humiliating decision by one of the country’s largest supermarket chains to cut its commercial ties over the row.
The DFB refused to let players in Qatar wear the armbands promoting diversity and inclusion after threats from the world football governing body to issue yellow cards to team captains, but faced a swift reaction, including from the supermarket chain REWE, which became the first sponsor to take direct action as it said it would drop its advertising campaign in protest at the decision.
The DFB’s spokesperson, Stefan Simon, confirmed to the tabloid Bild that it had lodged a case over legal validity of the decision at the international sport court, CAS, in Lausanne.
“Fifa has forbidden us from using a symbol of diversity and human rights. It said the ban would be linked to massive penalties (in the nature of) sporting sanctions without concretising exactly what it meant. The DFB is keen to clarify whether Fifa’s procedure is in fact legitimate,” he said.
Simon said the DFB hoped to overturn the ban by the time of Germany’s second match against Spain on Sunday, re-establishing its captain Manuel Neuer’s right to wear the OneLove symbol without facing penalties.
REWE in a statement before the DFB announced its legal action said it wanted to unambiguously distance itself from the position taken by Fifa and the statement made by its president, Gianni Infantino, at the weekend where he accused the west of “hypocrisy” in its reporting about Qatar’s human rights record.
Linoel Souque, the chief executive the Cologne-based retail chain, which has annual global sales of €76.5bn (£66bn), said the company could not accept Fifa’s stance. “We stand for diversity and football is diversity. The scandalous behaviour of Fifa is for me as the CEO of a diverse company as well as a football fan absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
The DFB’s decision was made after Fifa threatened sanctions against its participating clubs, including issuing yellow cards to players, if they failed to comply. Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Wales and Denmark all withdrew their plans to allow their captains to wear the armbands.
DFB’s president, Bernd Neuendorf, said: “In my opinion this is something of a display of power by Fifa. We see this as more than frustrating as well as being an unprecedented event in the history of the World Cup.”
The telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom said on Tuesday it was planning to talk to the DFB, though did not say what action it might be prepared to take. Volkswagen, Adidas, Lufthansa and Commerzbank, the DFB’s other commercial partners, are also under pressure to react.
The row reflects a generally downbeat and often angry mood in Germany towards the tournament being hosted in Qatar. Protests have included street demonstrations and one stadium lighting 20,000 candles at the weekend for Qatar migrant workers who have died, many in the process of building facilities for the World Cup.
Some German pubs and bars are refusing to show the tournament while others have announced they will donate the proceeds of their alcohol sales towards migrant worker charities.
REWE had told the DFB last month that it was not going to extend its years’ long contract with the DFB, but did not mention a connection with the World Cup.
The sticker album currently available at stores as well as the packets of stickers to go in it will be available for free with immediate effect, Souque said. Any money already made from sticker album sales will be donated to an appropriate cause, he added.
Souque said the supermarket nevertheless wished the German team well. “We’re on your side and are rooting for you,” he said.
In surveys, more than half of Germans are in favour of boycotts of the World Cup, by spectators, sponsors and politicians. The majority have said they would not be watching matches on television and there has been much criticism towards the public broadcaster for paying around €200m for the broadcasting rights to show the tournament. Many politicians who had been scheduled to go to Qatar are now not doing so.
The real test of how feelings are among football fans will be Wednesday afternoon’s match between Japan and Germany.
Nancy Faeser, Germany’s interior minister, called the armband ban a “massive mistake” by Fifa. “It breaks the heart of every fan to see how Fifa is also putting the burden of this on to the shoulders of the players,” she said.
Theo Zwanziger, a former DFB president, told Bild: “I’m happy that the DFB is now defending itself against the extraordinary machinations of Fifa president Gianni Infantino and is taking its case to the CAS. Anything else would have only done further damage to the credibility of the DFB,” he said.
Incidents involving Football Association of Wales staff and Wales supporters having rainbow-coloured bucket hats confiscated before the Group B opener against the USA are being urgently investigated by authorities.
Fifa and the Qataris were in talks on the matter on Tuesday, where Fifa reminded their hosts of their assurances before the tournament that everyone was welcome and rainbow flags would be allowed.
The Guardian also understands Fifa is deeply concerned about several incidents around the match, including Welsh FA staff and fans being confronted by security for bringing the hats into the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and a US fan with a rainbow flag being confronted on the metro.
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The FAW also released a statement expressing its disappointment. “On Monday, Cymru returned to the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, an historic moment for the squad, the valued fans – The Red Wall/Y Wal Goch – and the nation.
“However, the FAW were extremely disappointed by reports that members of Y Wal Goch, which included FAW staff members, were asked to remove and discard their Rainbow Wall bucket hats before entry to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. These bucket hats were created in partnership with the FAW.
“The FAW has collated information on these alleged incidents and will be addressing this matter directly with Fifa.”
Those confronted included the former Wales footballer Prof Laura McAllister, a trustee of the FAW Trust and a past Fifa council candidate, who said it was a “small moral victory” that she managed to eventually get the hat into the stadium.
“I pointed out that Fifa had made lots of comments about supporting LGBT rights in this tournament and said to them that coming from a nation where we’re very passionate about equality for all people, I wasn’t going to take my hat off,” said McAllister, a professor of public policy at Cardiff University. “They were insistent that unless I took the hat off we weren’t actually allowed to come into the stadium.”
Others had to surrender their hats. The Rainbow Wall, a Welsh LGBTQ+ fans’ group, said on Twitter: “Not the men, just women. @FIFAcom ARE YOU SERIOUS!!”
Earlier the US journalist Grant Wahl said he was detained by security staff after he wore a rainbow shirt to the match. One security guard told him they were protecting him from fans inside who might have attacked him for wearing it.
It was also reported that a US supporter was threatened on the metro travelling to the stadium for carrying a small rainbow flag – with the aggressor threatening to “kill” the man because “that flag is banned in this country”.
Last week Gerdine Lindhout, Fifa’s head of experiential marketing and promotion, had promised that LGBTQ+ fans would be safe. Asked what her message would be to those wanting to bring rainbow flags into the fan festival, she smiled. “Go for it,” she said. “This event is all about celebration.”
Meanwhile, problems with Fifa’s ticketing app, which led to hundreds of England fans missing the start of their 6-2 victory over Iran, are yet to be fixed.
Some fans queued for paper tickets at a convention centre in Doha after realising that, having logged out of their app in the previous 24 hours, they could no longer gain access. It is understood these issues were still being worked on on Tuesday.
Josh Cavallo, the Australian footballer who came out as gay last year, has criticised Fifa’s decision to penalise players at the World Cup who show support for the LGBTQ+ community, saying the move shows that football remains far from an inclusive space.
Captains from seven European teams intended to wear the “OneLove” rainbow armband at the tournament in Qatar, but ditched the plan before the first round of group matches amid fears they would receive an immediate booking for the show of solidarity.
The England captain, Harry Kane, said the decision had been taken out of his hands and was instead forced to wear Fifa’s “anti-discrimination” armband in his team’s opening win over Iran.
In a scathing social media post addressing Fifa, Cavallo said the lack of support for the inclusivity push meant he had lost all respect for the game’s world governing body.
“I love my identity,” the Adelaide United player wrote. “Seeing you have banned all teams to wear the One Love armband to actively support LGBTQ+ at the World Cup. You have lost my respect.
“All the work my fellow allies and the LGBTQ+ community are doing to make football inclusive, you have shown that football isn’t a place for everyone.”
Kane would have been joined by the Netherlands captain, Virgil van Dijk, and the Wales skipper, Gareth Bale, in wearing the OneLove armbands on Monday, with Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark expected to follow suit in their openers.
But in a joint statement following Fifa’s edict – which was described by the German federation president, Bernd Neuendorf, as an “outrageous demonstration of power from Fifa” – the seven national federations confirmed they would not wear the rainbow armbands.
“As national federations we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings,” the statement said.
The Australian captain, Mat Ryan, who appeared in a video with Socceroos teammates before the tournament to raise concerns over human rights issues including the treatment of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar, said he had been told if he wore a rainbow armband, he would receive a yellow card.
Ryan said the joint statement released with his teammates a month ago had been an attempt to try to “influence positive change in the world”.
Asked about Fifa’s latest directions on armbands, Ryan said: “I have got no comment. We made our statement with our players union. That’s all we can control.”
Cavallo became the only known male top-flight professional footballer in the world to come out as gay in October last year, prompting an outpouring of support from across the globe. He has since been outspoken on gay rights issues and advocated for inclusivity in football.
“It’s not the first time we’ve heard ‘stick to football,’” he wrote. “The attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from World Cup leaders affects so many who live in silence because of your draconian ways. To be a great leader in sport, one must never give up trying to bring all people together.”
England, Wales and five other European nations have backed down from wearing the OneLove armband that was intended as a protest at all forms of discrimination at the World Cup in Qatar. The decision came after they were warned by Fifa they would face sporting sanctions, and that their captains could be booked or even forced to leave the pitch.
Instead the captains are expected to wear Fifa-approved armbands promoting different social messages throughout the tournament. On Monday, Fifa announced that the ‘No Discrimination’ message, originally scheduled to be worn by teams in the quarter-finals, would instead be worn in the first group games instead.
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In a statement the seven federations, also including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, expressed dismay at Fifa’s behaviour.
“Fifa has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play,” they said. “As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in Fifa World Cup games.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.”
What also frustrated the federations was that they had contacted Fifa in September, telling them they planned to wear the rainbow armband in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal, yet had heard nothing – until Sunday evening.
“We are very frustrated by the Fifa decision which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to Fifa in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response,” they said. “Our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways.”
The federations met Fifa on Monday morning to seek clarity over the issue. Before the statement was issued the Denmark manager, Kasper Hjulmand, made clear his bafflement at Fifa’s attitude given the armband was worn, with scant fanfare, during Nations League games in September. That competition falls under Uefa’s jurisdiction.
“This is not something invented for this occasion, it’s something we’ve done before,” he said. “A OneLove armband – I can’t see the problem to be honest.”
The Dutch federation said in a separate statement: “Our No 1 priority at the World Cup is to win the games. Then you don’t want the captain to start the match with a yellow card.”
The Guardian has spoken to Qatari and Fifa sources who insisted the decision was taken purely by football’s governing body – and that there had been no pressure from Qatar regarding the armband. A Fifa source also pointed out that the regulations have long been clear that unapproved armbands are not allowed – and therefore nothing had really changed.
The emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, with Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino. Photograph: Qian Jun/ATP/SPP/Rex/Shutterstock
Fifa said in a statement: “Fifa can confirm its No Discrimination campaign has been brought forward from the planned quarter-finals stage in order that all 32 captains will have the opportunity to wear this armband during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022.
“This is in line with Article 13.8.1 of the Fifa equipment regulations, which state: ‘For Fifa final competitions, the captain of each team must wear the captain’s armband provided by Fifa.
“The Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 regulations, as approved by everyone in the game, exist to preserve the integrity of the field of play for all participants and are equally applicable to all competing teams.
“Fifa is an inclusive organisation that wants to put football to the benefit of society by supporting good and legitimate causes, but it has to be done within the framework of the competition regulations which are known to everyone.”
The decision was quickly greeted with dismay by fans and LGBTQ+ groups. The Football Supporters’ Association said: “LGBT+ football supporters and their allies will feel angry. Today we feel betrayed. Today we feel contempt for an organisation that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance.
“Never again should a World Cup be handed out solely on the basis of money and infrastructure. No country which falls short on LGBT+ rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights or any other universal human right should be given the honour of hosting a World Cup.”
A joint statement from 3 Lions Pride and The Rainbow Wall, LGBTQ+ fan groups of England and Wales respectively, accused Fifa of censorship and said football’s governing body was “crushing the basic human rights to freedom of speech and expression” and “giving a platform to hate”.
The veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, had showed his “true colours” after speaking about inclusivity at the weekend.
“I urge the team captains at their post-match press conferences to spend just 30 seconds to speak out for the rights of women, LGBTs and migrant workers,” he said. “That would have a huge impact, reaching a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.
“Fifa has crushed the OneLove campaign with the threat of yellow cards. It’s time to show Fifa and Qatar the red card,” he added.
Infantino said he had spoken to Qatar’s “highest leadership” and “I can confirm that everyone is welcome”.
The British Olympian and BBC presenter Jeannette Kwakye expressed disappointment at the FA’s decision. “The most powerful protests in global sport have not required permission,” she pointed out on social media.
The official spokesman of Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, said: “We share the FA’s frustration with Fifa’s decision on this which puts players in a very difficult position. It is, ultimately, a decision for the FA. On LGBT rights more broadly, clearly Qatar’s policies are not those of the UK government and not ones we would endorse.” “
The England captain, Harry Kane, and his Wales counterpart, Gareth Bale, are to defy Fifa by wearing “OneLove” rainbow armbands in their World Cup matches, after the governing body launched its own “social campaign” on the eve of the tournament.
Fifa has asked that all captains wear a different armband on each match day, promoting social messages such as “Football unites the world”, “Share the meal” and “Bring the moves”. The decision was announced months after a number of countries approached Fifa asking to wear rainbow armbands in Qatar as a gesture against discrimination and in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
They received no response to their request, with England and Wales both surprised by Fifa’s last-minute initiative on Saturday. But both FAs have reaffirmed their intention to wear the rainbow armbands, with the likely prospect that they will be fined for doing so.
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Rule 4.3 of Fifa’s equipment regulations states: “No item (of playing kit or other clothing or equipment or otherwise) may be worn or used in any controlled area if Fifa considers that it is dangerous, offensive or indecent, includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise does not comply in full with the laws of the game.”
Fifa said of its campaign: “Messaging opportunities will be provided to the participating teams via the team captains’ armbands during matches, with supporting content being displayed on LED screens around the pitch, on giant screens and on flags in the stadiums, together with additional amplification on Fifa’s digital platforms and through media, stakeholders, and other public activities.”
During Saturday’s press conference in Doha, Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, was asked why the governing body had not publicly supported the rainbow armbands, and launched its own campaign instead.
“We have clear regulations on armbands,” Infantino replied. “We have and engage in campaigns on different topics, campaigns which are universal. We need to find topics that everyone can adhere to. This is an important element for us.”
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar and while organisers and Fifa have repeated the message that “everyone is welcome” in the country during the World Cup, there has been no clarity over whether laws that would criminalise acts such as holding hands in public have been suspended.
Lou Englefield of the LGBTIQ Human Rights Sports Coalition said Infantino was wrong to suggest LGBTQ+ rights were not a universal topic. “We believe that the safety and security of LGBTIQ people at this World Cup has been a huge issue, to have rainbow armbands would be a strong, widely recognised and progressive message of inclusion”, she said. “Infantino is wrong. It’s a global issue, right for every organisation.”
Fifa announced on Saturday it was partnering with three United Nations agencies – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization – to run social campaigns throughout the tournament.
The campaigns are as follows:
Group stage, round one: #FootballUnitesTheWorld
Group stage, round two: #SaveThePlanet
Group stage, round three: #ProtectChildren #ShareTheMeal
Round of 16: #EducationForAll #FootballForSchools
Quarter-finals: #NoDiscrimination
Semi-finals: #BeActive #BringTheMoves
Third-place and Final: Football Is Joy, Passion, Hope, Love and Peace – #FootballUnitesTheWorld
