Chantel Rodriguez

Staff writer

cvr5570@psu.edu

Pride flags could be removed from fans’ hands by authorities at the World Cup in Qatar to protect them. 

Authorities want to protect fans from being attacked for promoting gay rights, said a senior director supervisor of security for the World Cup. At first, FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged LGBTQ fans to join the tournament and that “everyone will see that everyone is welcome here in Qatar, even if we speak about LGBTQ.” 

But fan groups online later labeled the response as contradicting, stating: “We cannot, in good faith, tell our members, LGBT+ people, or allies that this is a #WorldCup for all.”

Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, a Qatari official in charge of security, said that the fans in Qatar displaying Pride flags could have them seized. Ansari’s title is the Department of International Cooperation director, and he is also the chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior. 

General Abdulaziz Abdullah Ansari persisted that LGBTQ fans will continue to be accepted and received in Qatar for the November 21-December 18 FIFA shows even with the same-sex relationships left criminalized in the traditional Persian Gulf population.

Ansari has been against the overt marketing of LGBTQ rights as embodied by the Pride flag; FIFA and World Cup organizers continued their support for the LGBTQ community. They ensured fans would be welcomed across Qatar’s eight stadiums. 

In an interview with AP’s Rob Harris, Al Ansari offered his perspective on a possible example of what would occur if a fan waved the Pride flag. 

“If he [a fan] raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I want to take it, to insult him, but to protect him,” Ansari said. 

“Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack. … I cannot guarantee the behavior of the whole people. And I will tell him: ‘Please, no need to raise that flag”, Ansari continued. 

A more significant concern for the country’s tourism officials is fans who are a part of the LGBTQ community will feel secure in attending Qatar. How could they feel safe in a crowd that could potentially turn anger fast where their choices are criminalized? 

An England manager named Gareth Southgate expressed his concerns that many LGBTQ supporters of his country’s team might avoid the tournament entirely due to fear of their safety and lack of security. 

The FARE network monitors games for discrimination and calls for fans’ freedoms to be respected at the World Cup no matter what. 

“The idea that the flag, which is now a recognized universal symbol of diversity and equality, will be removed from people to protect them will not be considered acceptable and will be seen as a pretext,” FARE Executive Director Piara Powar explained. 

“I have been to Qatar and do not expect the local Qatari population or fans visiting for the World Cup to be attacked for wearing the rainbow flag. The bigger danger comes from state actions.”