On Tuesday, England’s World Cup men’s team extended their support for the LGBTQ community as they travelled to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup scheduled to happen from November 20 to December 18. The team travelled in a plane named ‘Rain Bow’, as a gesture against Qatar’s anti-LGBT laws.
According to the reports, the plane owned by the Virgin Atlantic which ferried the England team to Qatar also portrayed a cartoon figure posed in rainbow-themed trainers. The airbus further had a registration number GV-PRD, an abbreviation of ‘Pride’. The stunt was revealed as England men’s team players arrived for the tournament and posed in front of rainbow-styled Nike swooshes.
US changes logo
Similarly, the US men’s team also extended their support to the LGBTQ community in Qatar by displaying a rainbow-themed logo at their training facility in the World Cup host nation on Monday. The design, which has seven rainbow-colored vertical stripes under “USA” written in dark blue letters, is part of the team’s ‘Be The Change’ program, which was launched in 2020 to motivate action on social justice concerns.
#WATCH | US use rainbow logo at Qatar World Cup in support of LGBTQ community#fifa #lgbtq #qatar #fifaworldcup pic.twitter.com/XeQvrnwITp
— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) November 15, 2022
US coach Gregg Berhalter said on Monday that it is important to bring awareness to these issues on the world stage, especially in Qatar. “It is not just Stateside that we want to bring attention to social issues, it is also abroad. We recognize that Qatar has made strides and there has been a ton of progress but there’s some work still to do,” he was quoted.
US Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe also commented on the issue and said, “Our rainbow badge has an important and consistent role in the identity of US Soccer. Locations that we will manage and operate at the Fifa World Cup, such as the team hotel, media areas and parties, will feature both traditional and rainbow US Soccer branding.”
Germany hails diversity in its team aircraft
Meanwhile, Germany also made its stand on the issue clear by making a statement on its flight out. The statement ‘diversity wins’ has been written over the body of their Lufthansa Airbus A330 which would ferry the squad to Qatar. The German plane is currently at its training base in Oman while the England men’s team reached the World Cup host country on November 15.
Reports mention that the England men’s team in Qatar will also be wearing rainbow ‘One Love’ armbands regardless of FIFA permission.
In Qatar, same-sex relationships are outlawed, and the host country has come under fire for its harsh anti-LGBTQ regulations as the dates for the World Cup draw closer. Earlier, England and Wales and six other European nations had requested FIFA to allow their captains to wear ‘OneLove’ multicolored wristbands at the World Cup, in a response to concerns about Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura sent a letter to the teams urging them to ‘let football take center stage’.
Also, Germany and many other western countries had called for a boycott of the upcoming event in the Arab country due to the latter’s position on LGBTQ+ rights and the use of ‘slave labor. Qatar’s Foreign Minister, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani then summoned the German ambassador over the concerns raised by his country over the alleged human rights violations in Qatar. He accused Germany of ‘double standards’ and also reminded the people that the European countries have no problem with Qatar when it comes to energy partnerships or investments.
As reported earlier, a large majority of people in Britain think the World Cup should not be held in Qatar because of its position on LGBTQ+ rights. 62% of British people believe Qatar’s stance on homosexual rights should have been enough to disqualify it from hosting the event.
Organizers of the game say that they are welcoming everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or background but has also issued warnings against public displays of affection. Qatar won the right to host the summer World Cup in December 2010 against all odds in 50 degrees celsius temperature, before FIFA moved the World Cup to winter for the first time in history to protect players from that heat. The tournament will now be held from 21st November to 18th December in the small Arabian country.
