I'm confused. Are the Qatari's for or against the gays? Given the lack of women visible and it being a total cock fest they must be for the gays.

Let me see - are the Qataris concerned about a rainbow revolution ( reference to "colour revolution", in Cambodia and elsewhere), where the authorities fear that allowing people to wear a combination of (a) special colour(s) in a public space is going to ignite the populace to rise up and ... in Qatar's case, they're gonna rise up and what ? Be gay ? FFS.
Stoopid, yes they are, because IMO this over-reaction by the host country shows how much difference there is between Qatari "brand-washing" and Qatari "real-life". They have just "outed" themselves as a bunch of social reactionaries. Well, lol, what a surprise! Who would have thought it ?

Fifa and Qatar in urgent talks after Wales rainbow hats confiscated

Fifa reminds Qatar of assurances given before World Cup
Governing body understood to be deeply concerned
Last modified on Tue 22 Nov 2022 18.26 GMT

Incidents involving Football Association of Wales staff and Wales supporters having rainbow-coloured bucket hats confiscated before the Group B opener against the USA are being urgently investigated by authorities.

Fifa and the Qataris were in talks on the matter on Tuesday, where Fifa reminded their hosts of their assurances before the tournament that everyone was welcome and rainbow flags would be allowed.

The Guardian also understands Fifa is deeply concerned about several incidents around the match, including Welsh FA staff and fans being confronted by security for bringing the hats into the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and a US fan with a rainbow flag being confronted on the metro. The Qatari Supreme Committee is expected to issue a statement in the next 24 hours.

The FAW released a statement expressing its disappointment. “On Monday, Cymru returned to the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, an historic moment for the squad, the valued fans – The Red Wall/Y Wal Goch – and the nation.

“However, the FAW were extremely disappointed by reports that members of Y Wal Goch, which included FAW staff members, were asked to remove and discard their Rainbow Wall bucket hats before entry to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. These bucket hats were created in partnership with the FAW.

“The FAW has collated information on these alleged incidents and will be addressing this matter directly with Fifa.”

Those confronted included the former Wales footballer Prof Laura McAllister, a trustee of the FAW Trust and a past Fifa council candidate, who said it was a “small moral victory” that she managed to eventually get the hat into the stadium.

“I pointed out that Fifa had made lots of comments about supporting LGBT rights in this tournament and said to them that coming from a nation where we’re very passionate about equality for all people, I wasn’t going to take my hat off,” said McAllister, a professor of public policy at Cardiff University. “They were insistent that unless I took the hat off we weren’t actually allowed to come into the stadium.”

Others had to surrender their hats. The Rainbow Wall, a Welsh LGBTQ+ fans’ group, said on Twitter: “Not the men, just women. @FIFAcom ARE YOU SERIOUS!!”

Earlier the US journalist Grant Wahl said he was detained by security staff after he wore a rainbow shirt to the match. One security guard told him they were protecting him from fans inside who might have attacked him for wearing it.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -world-cup

Must be time for a beer.

Freightdog wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:09 pm

England and Wales had planned to defy Fifa’s request by wearing the rainbow armband. The Football Association wrote to the game’s governing body about its plans in September but received no response.

So was this a request by FIFA, in which case it’s largely being polite (to a minority group), but not binding? Or is it a thinly disguised threat based on pandering to a host who should never have been granted the event in the first place?

Sport- that great game of politics.

I think fifa said they would book players for wearing the rainbow armband.

Yesterday Welsh fans entering the stadium were told to take off rainbow hats.

I'm not a fan of the increasing social politicisation of any sport, I prefer it to be an escape from the reality of the world's issues/problems but it should be a vehicle to bring people together. I can't help feeling there is a golden opportunity for England and Wales to make a tournament defining moment by putting on the Rainbow armbands unannounced when they are lining up for their national anthems when they play each other. It will put the referee in the embarrassing position of having to book all 22 players in full view of the watching world. It will make a mockery of all the hollow equality waffle we all knew was being spouted by FIFA and the Qatari's pre-tourament and show them up for what they only really care about, money and commercial interests

hburns wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:26 pm I'm confused. Are the Qatari's for or against the gays? Given the lack of women visible and it being a total cock fest they must be for the gays.

The true irony about homosexuality in Arabia is largely unknown by Western folk. In fact, there are a very large number of covert gays, both male and female in many Arab nations, including, and especially,in Saudi Arabia. Why? Well nobody knows for sure why, but many speculate that the very strict rules of public social movement tend to keep men and women apart. If you are a woman, unless you are related to a man, you can't go about town freely to meet guys in the coffee shop. In contrast, look at the men. In Saudi, Iraq, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, Pakistan, etc, the fellas are always out and about with their pals in tea shops, etc... Men can go to each other's apartments if they are not married. But it would be impossible or tricky to take a single woman home unless you are of the privileged wealthy classes etc... Saudi princes have for years notoriously bought peasant women and girls for their private entertainment at home. But there are more middle class and downright poor people in Saudi than princes... Because of the harsh rules of gender segregation, there is generally a lot more homosexuality in Arabia than the West. They just keep mum about it.

Cowshed Cowboy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:27 am I'm not a fan of the increasing social politicisation of any sport, I prefer it to be an escape from the reality of the world's issues/problems but it should be a vehicle to bring people together.

"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting."

George Orwell, "The Sporting Spirit," 1945