FIFA Allows Wearing Rainbow Caps to Support LGBTQ+ Community

Welsh Football Association: "FIFA Allows Rainbow Attire in All Stadiums"
Rainbow Armbands Worn by Captains of 9 Teams Including England and Germany Are Prohibited

Belgian football fans wearing 'OneLove' shirts symbolizing diversity and inclusion posed on the 23rd (local time) at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, where the first match of Group F between Belgium and Canada in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage was held. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) will allow rainbow hats and flags symbolizing the prohibition of discrimination against sexual minorities to be brought into stadiums starting from the second match of the group stage in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) announced on the 25th (Korean time), "Welsh fans will be able to enter the stadium with rainbow hats and flags from the second group stage match against Iran in Group B," adding, "FIFA has permitted this. Fans can support in rainbow attire at all stadiums."

Previously, during the first match between Wales and the United States held on the 22nd at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, rainbow attire was prohibited. At that time, members of Wales' 'Rainbow Wall,' a group supporting sexual minorities, and Welsh fans brought rainbow hats and flags to the stadium but were stopped by security personnel on the grounds that "rainbow attire is a prohibited symbol."

Grant Wahl, an American soccer journalist who visited the stadium for coverage, revealed on the 21st that he was denied entry due to his rainbow attire. Wahl tweeted, "I wore a rainbow T-shirt supporting the LGBTQ community, but security guards refused me entry and detained me for 25 minutes. They harshly demanded that I remove the T-shirt," adding, "When I hurriedly tweeted about this situation, security forcibly took my phone from my hand."

In response, the FAW issued an official protest, and foreign media outlets flooded with reports criticizing human rights issues at the Qatar World Cup. As criticism grew, FIFA appears to have decided to allow spectators to wear rainbow attire.

However, the rainbow armbands that captains of nine European teams, including England and Germany, intended to wear were excluded from permission. The wearing of rainbow armbands began at the UEFA European Football Championship (EURO 2020) held last year, where captains promoted diversity and inclusion by opposing discrimination based on skin color, sexual orientation, culture, and gender. At this Qatar World Cup, captains of nine teams, including England, the Netherlands, and Belgium, agreed to wear these armbands in protest against the treatment of migrant workers and sexual minorities.

Nevertheless, FIFA has effectively banned wearing rainbow armbands during matches by stating that players will receive a 'yellow card' if they wear them. FIFA respects the cause behind the rainbow armbands but has restricted the wearing of politically interpretable accessories and celebrations, citing Article 13, Clause 8, Item 1 as the basis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.