As the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off amidst controversy, yet another form of “sporting sanctions” has emerged, targeting players who support the LGBTQ community.
Posted on – 12:58 AM, Thu – 24 November 22
Hyderabad: The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community has condemned FIFA’s threat to impose sanctions on players who wore ‘One Love’ armbands at the World Cup in Qatar in a show of solidarity with the community.
As the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off amidst controversy, yet another form of “sporting sanctions” has emerged, targeting players who support the LGBTQ community. England, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark plan to expand their support for the LGBTQ community by wearing their respective captain’s special armbands.
But on Monday, FIFA threatened teams with yellow cards on the field if they wore these multicolor (rainbow) bands. “FIFA has made it very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captain wears the armband on the pitch,” Fifa said in a statement hours before the England-Iran match.
In this regard, Sandy, chairman of the Morbella Foundation, which seeks to promote gender inclusiveness, said, “Fifa’s decision is ridiculous. They should be ashamed of their actions. When certain causes are in places where the world is watching. This type of sanction is completely unacceptable when supported. It’s time to learn about gender, sex and equality for all communities. There are several laws that support the LGBTQ community. Governments and countries are developing policies to embrace everyone’s choices.”
The 27-year-old was concerned about the decision and said it hurt vulnerable members of the community. “There are many communities around the world who play and watch football. It is inappropriate for FIFA to sanction players who support inclusive causes. It hurts and hurts the LGBTQ community around the world.”
Global soccer groups are now making Qatar a battleground for gender politics, he said, adding that “someone chooses their gender, sexuality has nothing to do with sport.” In today’s world, athletes from LGBTQ are winning medals and that’s the point. “For example, British diver Tom Daley came out as gay and won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” Sandy added.
