Explained: Why Are LGBTQ+ Football Fans Wary Ahead of FIFA World Cup in Qatar?

Mixed messaging from the Qatar government has compelled several football fans from the queer community to stay back.

Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022, which is slated to begin in 20 November, football fans from the LGBTQI+ community are concerned for their safety in the Arab country, where homosexuality is strictly illegal.

(Image: The Quint/Sourav Dihingia)

Queer football fans from across the world are steering clear of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, with some even boycotting the entire tournament.

But why?

Over the past few months, football fans from the LGBTQI+ community have raised concerns for their safety in the hosting Arab country, where homosexuality is strictly illegal.

In an interview that was aired on Tuesday, 8 November – just 12 days before the tournament – a Qatar World Cup ambassador and a former international footballer, Khalid Salman, told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was a "damage in the mind" and that it's "haram" (forbidden) in Islam.

He said that the country would accept gay visitors but that "they have to accept our rules." The interview was abruptly stopped after his comments, according to AFP.

This comes at a time when the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and Qatar's Supreme Committee, the two bodies responsible for organising the championship, have iterated that all are welcome to watch the world cup that begins on 20 November.

But some mixed messaging from the Qatar government has also compelled several fans to stay back.

Where does Qatar stand on homosexuality? What has FIFA said about the situation? What do fans want? Here's a lowdown.

Where Does Qatar's Laws Stand on Homosexuality?

Qatar prohibits sexual activity between persons belonging to the same sex under the Penal Code 2004, which criminalises acts of sodomy and sexual intercourse between people of the same sex.

These provisions carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment, as per Human Dignity Trust. Both men and women are criminalised under this law.

The Constitution of Qatar designates Islam as the state religion, and Islamic law as the main source of legislation. In addition to the Penal Code, Qatar also follows an interpretation of the Sharia Law which criminalises sexual activity between men, under which it is possible that the death penalty can be imposed to Muslim offenders.

While no such executions have been reported in recent times, there have been reports of police action against queer persons.

In a report released on 24 October, NGO Human Rights Watch documented at least six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022, in relation to gender identity. Security forces arrested people in public places based solely on their gender expression and unlawfully searched their phones, the report, which was later denied by government officials, alleged.

The Human Rights Watch report contained the accounts of these Qataris who were subjected to verbal and physical abuse, including kicking and punching, and were detained without charge in an underground prison in Doha.

“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,” said Rasha Younes, LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

What Do Fans Want?

Various LGBTQI+ football fan groups have said that their members will be boycotting the World Cup in Qatar "as a statement of principle."

Carl Fearn, co-chairman of Gaygooners, Arsenal Football Club's supporters group for LGBTQI+ fans, told news agency Press Association that there has been a "deafening silence" from FIFA on the issue.

Many fans on Twitter have demanded clearer guarantees of security from the organisers and have also questioned FIFA's decision of holding the event in Qatar.

Even if Qatar and FIFA could guarantee their safety, some fans said that they didn’t want to support a World Cup in a country that doesn’t guarantee the safety of its own LGBTQI+ citizens.

“I don't really wanna give my money to a country that will then more than likely take this money to actively work against people like me,” a fan from the US was quoted as saying by Yahoo Sports.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Men’s National Football Team released a video with clips of its players speaking about the human rights situation in Qatar, and called for a decriminalisation all same-sex relationships.

"As players, we fully support the rights of the LGBTQI+ people, but in Qatar, people are not free to love the person they choose," one the team members of the Socceroos said in the video.

Has Qatar Responded?

Yes. Amid fears from several corners over the safety of the queer community at the FIFA World Cup, Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani promised that all prospective visitors will be welcome without any discrimination.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in September, the Emir said:

"The Qatari people will receive with open arms football fans from all walks of life.... The world will see that one of the small and medium-size countries is able to host global events with exceptional success, in addition to its ability to provide a spacious ambience for diversity and constructive interaction between peoples."

In 2020, World Cup CEO Nasser Al-Khater had held that rainbow flags will be allowed in the stadium.

"When it comes to the rainbow flags in the stadiums, FIFA have their own guidelines, they have their rules and regulations... Whatever they may be, we will respect them," he was quoted as saying by news agency AP.

Officials from the government of Qatar have maintained that "fans will be free to express themselves during the World Cup" but will be asked to "respect the local values and culture."

"We don't believe in public displays of affection but we are also ingrained towards welcoming everyone from all backgrounds," organising committee chief Hassan Al-Thawadi said at a press conference in New York in September, when asked about LGBTQI+ fans, as per an AFP news report.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also iterated that gay football fans should show a "little bit of flex and compromise" when in the emirate. His statement was met with widespread criticism from within Britain, and was called "shockingly tone-deaf" by Lucy Powell, the shadow digital, culture, media and sport secretary.

What Has FIFA Said?

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, in a video message released in October, said that the FIFA World Cup 2022 will bring people together for one month and help dispel some of the misconceptions that still exist about the Middle East.

In the statement issued a month before the kick-off of the tournament, Infantino said that gender and sexual orientation will not be axes of discrimination.

"Let me repeat it clearly: Everyone will be welcome to the tournament regardless of their origin, background, religion, sexual orientation or nationality."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino

Bloomberg reported on 1 November that a presentation prepared by FIFA details policing procedures that guide security officials to exercise “less intervention, more mediation” and practises “leniency towards behaviors that do not threaten physical integrity or property.”

Specifically, police officers are not to approach, detain, or prosecute people displaying rainbow flags or disrupt fans marching and chanting in the streets, as per the report.

(With inputs from AP, AFP, Yahoo Sports, and Bloomberg)