This year, Qatar is hosting the annual FIFA world cup tournament. The focus should be on Qatar and its culture, but issues with LGBTQ+ rights, human rights in Qatar, and Iranian conflicts have almost overtaken what is occurring on the field. So, what are some things that happened on the field during the world cup this year?
The Rainbow Dispute
Firstly, seven European nations lost the fight to wear multicolored "One Love" armbands during World Cup games in the first week of the tournament, and several fans complained they couldn't carry rainbow-colored items, a symbol of LGBTQ rights, into the stadiums of the conservative Islamic emirate.
Qatar, a country where gay sex is illegal, came under significant international criticism and attention over rights problems, especially concerns about whether LGBTQ tourists would feel safe and welcome. The Gulf nation has announced that all are welcome, including LGBTQ supporters, and that it will assure everyone's safety, regardless of background. However, tourists are asked to respect the local customs (Fam, Mariam). Furthermore, FIFA declared the One Love symbols to be in violation of its rules just hours before the first game. According to FIFA, no uniform may have "any political, religious, or personal slogans, declarations, or imagery." Additionally, wearing the armband would result in more than just a fine. FIFA issued a warning about on-field sanctions including yellow cards. Even though they were furious, the European teams felt they had little option but to surrender. But before the start of their next match, the German players made a symbolic protest by covering their lips in a protest against FIFA's "gagging" of them. Nancy Faeser, the interior minister of Germany, sat close to Infantino during that game and wore a One Love armband (Yon grit, Runrot).
On top of that, another situation occurred, where during the second half of the match between Portugal and Uruguay, a guy went onto the field with a rainbow flag and wearing a blue jersey that read "SAVE UKRAINE" on the front and "RESPECT FOR IRANIAN WOMAN" on the back. The fan was escorted by security staff before dropping the flag onto the field. The flag was left there for a little while before a stadium employee walked by to take it. It wasn't immediately known if the individual was in custody or if any charges had been filed against them (Reyes, Lorenzo).
National Anthem
Moving on, Iran was the focus of attention during the group stage of the competition. Before their first game, the country's players chose not to sing the national anthem in protest of Mahsa Amini's death on September 16 while she was being held by the nation's religious police. As a result of the protests, at least 450 people have died and more than 18,000 have been arrested, according to Human Rights Watch in Iran, an advocacy group monitoring the events.
At the World Cup, there has been conflict between supporters of the government and those wearing jerseys with Amini's name and waving opposition flags and banners. During the anthem prior to the first game, some fans shouted (Reyes, Lorenzo).
Ali, who was a protester in the stadium's audience who wore a T-shirt with the protest slogan "women, life, freedom" written on it in Persian, stated that, "Every day we go to protest, but the regime is bigger, and they have more power, they have guns. We are with bare hands." The national team has faced a lot of heat and accusations for not supporting the protesters adequately. Even if the audience or protestors wants them to succeed, Ali admitted that it is "very difficult" for him to cheer for the team or pay attention to the game of football. He mentioned, "When I see my brothers and sisters on the streets in blood, how can I focus? How can I be happy? " The Iranian players were in a tough situation. They are standing in for a country that is experiencing severe political chaos and where anti-government activists have been killed and detained. They are now being encouraged to take a more outspoken attitude in favor of the protestors (“World Cup 2022: Iran players sing national anthem before Wales game”).
Prior to the world cup tournament, a few LGBTQ rights advocates made an effort to attract attention to their concerns about how LGBTQ people in Qatar will be treated after the World Cup. Some of them have also said that the LGBTQ community in the country has not gotten enough global recognition. To conclude, the tension between those who support the government and others who are determined in protesting the present political challenges stood out possibly more than the actual games during this year's World Cup.
Sources
Fam, Mariam “Rainbow struggle playing out on sidelines of World Cup” AP News, Nov 26. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-international-gay-rights-54e5b2a4f51e471ca3a8f10816af201b
Yongrit, Rungroj “FIFA’s mirage of unity: why the World Cup is a vessel for political protest” The Conversation, Dec 7. 2022, https://theconversation.com/fifas-mirage-of-unity-why-the-world-cup-is-a-vessel-for-political-protest-195432
Reyes, Lorenzo “World Cup protestor waving rainbow flag interrupts Portugal vs. Uruguay match: USA Today, Nov 29. 2022, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2022/11/28/world-cup-protestor-field-rainbow-flag/10791761002/
“World Cup 2022: Iran players sing national anthem before Wales game” BBC, Nov 25. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63753096