The International Football Association (FIFA) assured participants of the World Cup that Qatar will now allow fans with rainbow flags and other items demonstrating support for LGBTQ+ community to attend games, The Independent reported on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2022) The International Football Association (FIFA) assured participants of the World Cup that Qatar will now allow fans with rainbow flags and other items demonstrating support for LGBTQ+ community to attend games, The Independent reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, FIFA informed football federations of countries participating in the World Cup that Qatari authorities would no longer prohibit rainbow colors from venues following a series of incidents where local security confiscated items with such colors from fans.
The Independent also reported that football federations raised this issue with FIFA, as they had previously been told that the tournament in Qatar would be "an open World Cup" without strict measures concerning fans' freedom of expression.
Earlier in the month, the Qatari government banned the sale of beer in stadiums, which sparked criticism in media and among fans all over the world.
Qatar has faced a flurry of criticism during preparations for this football tournament. International human rights organizations accused the Qatari authorities of violating the rights of migrant workers, and the football community was not pleased with the decision to hold the World Cup in the winter, and not in the summer as usual, as well as the introduction of a number of prohibitions and restrictions, including on public displays of feelings, loud noises and music, as well as of homosexuality.
The FIFA World Cup is taking place from November 21 to December 18 in Doha.
