A US journalist covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar claimed that he was detained for wearing a rainbow shirt supporting the LGBTQ community.
Grant Wahl, who runs his own website covering football and formerly worked for Sports Illustrated, tweeted that he was not allowed to enter the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan for Monday’s match between US and Wales because of his shirt, which had a soccer ball surrounded by a rainbow.
Wahl tweeted that he was told: “You have to change your shirt. It’s not allowed.”
He later alleged that his phone was taken away when he tweeted about the incident.
“I’m OK, but that was an unnecessary ordeal,” Wahl wrote on Twitter.
Free to read: What happened when Qatar World Cup security detained me for 25 minutes for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights, forcibly took my phone and angrily demanded that I remove my t-shirt to enter the stadium. (I refused.) Story: https://t.co/JKpXXETDkH pic.twitter.com/HEjr0xzxU5
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022
Wahl further said that he was later allowed to enter the venue after a security commander approached him and apologised.
He also said that he received an apology from a representative of FIFA.
Qatari law criminalises same-sex activity and can lead to heavier sentences of up to seven years in jail if found to be displaying any sexual acts of homosexuality.
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Under the country’s sharia law, the maximum punishment for same-sex relationships is the death penalty.
Qatar’s selection as the host nation for the FIFA World Cup match has been the subject of much controversy due to its human rights records.
Human Rights Watch claims to have documented six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment against LGBTQ+ people in police custody between 2019 and 2022.
“While Qatar prepares to host the World Cup, security forces are detaining and abusing LGBT people simply for who they are, apparently confident that the security force abuses will go unreported and unchecked,” it said.
“Qatari authorities need to end impunity for violence against LGBT people. The world is watching.”
