Qatar World Cup 2022: Will gay football fans be safe? | SBS News

Contents:

• A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
• WE ASKED IF GAY FANS WILL BE SAFE AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR. THIS IS WHAT THE HOSTS SAIDSBS NEWS TRAVELLED TO QATAR TO QUTN THE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSU THREATENG TO OVERSHADOW THE WORLD'S BIGGT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT, WHICH KICKS OFF ON 21 NOVEMBER.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GENERATN AMAZG, NASSER AL-KHORI, SAYS QATAR WANTS TO SHOW THE WORLD IS A PROGRSIVE STATE THE MIDDLE EAST. CRED: ADRIAN ARCIULIALMOST 12 YEARS AGO, QATAR SHOCKED THE WORLD, WNG THE RIGHT TO HOST THE WORLD’S BIGGT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT.THEN FIFA PRINT SEPP BLATTER ANNOUNCED WOULD BEE THE FIRST MIDDLE EASTERN NATN TO STAGE THE TOURNAMENT 2022, WH ATRALIA AMONG THOSE OVERLOOKED. ATRALIA RECEIVED JT ONE VOTE AFTER SPENDG MORE THAN $40 LN ON S BID.BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM; QATAR'S RERD ON HUMAN RIGHTS. LGBTIQ+ RIGHTSHOMOSEXUAL ACTIVY IS A CRIMAL OFFENCE QATAR AND IS PUNISHABLE WH A JAIL SENTENCE — EVEN ATH SOME CIRCUMSTANC.BUT THE ANISG MTEE FOR THIS YEAR'S FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR HAS TOLD SBS NEWS LGBTIQ+ FANS WON'T FACE ANY DISCRIMATN DURG THE TOURNAMENT.FANS OF GERMANY'S MEN'S FOOTBALL TEAM HOLD UP SIGNS AT WEMBLEY DURG EURO 2020 LAST YEAR. SOURCE: GETTY / MARK GILLIAR - GES SPORTFOTOFATMA AL-NUAIMI, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITNS FOR THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT, SAYS QATAR HAS HOSTED AROUND 600 TERNATNAL EVENTS SCE BEG AWARD HOSTG RIGHTS AND CLAIMS THERE HASN’T BEEN ONE CINT OF DISCRIMATN.“WE KEEP ASSURG EVERYONE THAT EVERYONE IS WELE,” MS AL-NUAIMI TOLD SBS NEWS.“EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO E, ENJOY THE GAM AND SUPPORT THEIR TEAMS, REGARDLS OF THEIR BACKGROUND, RELIGN OR GENR.”FATMA AL-NUAIMI SAYS QATAR HAS HOSTED AROUND 600 TERNATNAL EVENTS SCE BEG AWARD THE FIFA WORLD CUP RIGHTS.FANS THOUGH AREN'T SO SURE. FOR THE SEND FIFA WORLD CUP SUCCSN, JAM CARDALL HAS ZERO TERT ATTENDG.MR CARDALL, WHO IS THE PRINT OF PRI FOOTBALL ATRALIA, SAYS ’S "DISGRACEFUL" THAT FIFA HAS AWARD NSECUTIVE EDNS OF THE TOURNAMENT TO UNTRI [RSIA AND QATAR] THAT HE BELIEV HAVE "DIRE AND POOR" OPNS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY.“CONSIRG THEY BRAND FOOTBALL AS THE GLOBAL GAME, 'S QUE HYPOCRIL,” HE SAID. READ MORETHE WORLD CUP QATAR IS LS THAN A YEAR AWAY; HERE’S WHY LGBTIQ+ SOCCEROOS FANS WON’T BE GOGIT'S EXPECTED MORE THAN A LN PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL TO QATAR FOR THIS YEAR'S FIFA WORLD CUP. BUT FOR PRI FOOTBALL ATRALIA'S 500 MEMBERS, 'S A TRIP NOT ONE OF THEM WILL BE MAKG.“WE DON'T FEEL CLUD, WE ACTUALLY FEEL EXCLUD OM THE TOURNAMENT SELF,” MR CARDALL SAID.“I THK 'S A PRETTY POOR SHOWG OM FIFA AND QATAR AS WELL.”FIFA, THE ERNG BODY FOR WORLD FOOTBALL, REMAS NFINT THE PROMIS OF CLN WILL BE UPHELD, ADDG THAT SUPPORTERS WILL BE EE TO FLY RABOW FLAGS AT MATCH.“WE'VE RECEIVED THE NECSARY GUARANTE, WE ARE TRAG ALL THE OFFICIALS, WE ARE WORKG HAND HAND WH THE ERNMENT, WH THE POLICE THORI, EVERYONE WILL BE WELE,” FIFA PRINT GIANNI INFANTO TOLD THE QATAR ENOMIC FOM LATE JUNE.NASSER AL-KHORI, WHO LEADS GENERATN AMAZG, A SOCIAL AND HUMAN LEGACY IATIVE FOR THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT, SAID QATAR WAS MORE PROGRSIVE THAN S NEIGHBOURS BUT HOP ALL VISORS WILL RPECT QATARI CULTURE AND TRADNS.“WE WANT TO SHOW TO THE WORLD THAT WE ARE SORT OF A PROGRSIVE STATE THE REGN,” MR AL-KHORI TOLD SBS NEWS.“WE ARE MORNISG, BUT OUR OWN SORT OF WAY, STICKG TO OUR INTY, OUR CULTURE, OUR ROOTS.”NASSER AL-KHORI SAYS QATAR WANTS TO SHOW THE WORLD IS A PROGRSIVE STATE THE MIDDLE EAST CRED: ADRIAN ARCIULITHE MSAGG AROUND CULTURE FOLLOWS THAT OF THE EMIR OF QATAR, SHEIKH TAMIM B HAMAD AL-THANI.WHEN ASKED A QUTN EARLIER THIS YEAR ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF VISORS OM THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY, HE SAID: “WE WELE EVERYBODY, BUT WE ALSO EXPECT AND WANT PEOPLE TO RPECT OUR CULTURE”. BUT WRG A CANADIAN NEWSPAPER LAST MONTH, RASHA YOUN, A REARCHER WH HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH'S LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR RIGHTS PROGRAM, SAID: "QATAR’S STEADY REFERENCE TO “CULTURE” TO NY LGBT PEOPLE’S RIGHTS FLECTS RPONSIBILY AWAY OM ABIVE STATE SYSTEMS". "'CULTURE' SHOULD NOT BE ED AS A VER FOR DISURSE, PRACTIC, AND LEGISLATN THAT HAVE EFFECTIVELY EXCLUD NTENT RELATED TO SEXUAL ORIENTATN AND GENR INTY OM THE PUBLIC SPHERE."WORKER RIGHTSWHEN QATAR WAS AWARD HOSTG RIGHTS 2010, THE NATN HAD A POPULATN OF JT 1.85 LN PEOPLE. IT HAS SCE GROWN TO ALMOST 3 LN. THE TOTAL LAND SIZE OF THE GULF NATN IS ONLY 11,751 SQUARE KILOMETR, MAKG SMALLER THAN SYDNEY.HOSTG THE FIFA WORLD CUP WAS EVERY B THE GROUND-BREAKG OPPORTUNY FOR QATAR — THE FIRST THE ARAB WORLD TO DO SO. IT REQUIRED SIGNIFINT VELOPMENT WH A WORKFORCE TO MATCH.THOANDS OF MIGRANTS HAVE BEEN DRAFTED TO PLETE THE WORK TIME BUT ACRDG TO HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, MANY HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THE JOB.AMNTY INTERNATNAL ATRALIA REARCHER NIKA WHE SAYS ’S UNCLEAR EXACTLY HOW MANY WORKERS HAVE DIED BUILDG ASTCTURE RELATED TO THE FIFA WORLD CUP.READ MOREATRALIAN FOOTBALL STAR SAM KERR BE FIRST WOMAN TO APPEAR ON GLOBAL FIFA VER“UNFORTUNATELY, QATAR DON'T PUBLISH STATISTICS ON WORKERS WHO'VE DIED,” MS WHE SAID. “WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THOANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE DIED WORKG ON THE WORLD CUP AND WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR ATHS HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY FOLLOWED UP BY THE QATAR THORI.”“OFTEN, THEY ARE VERY F HEALTHY YOUNG MEN AND THEY DIE AFTER WORKG REALLY LONG HOURS EXTREME NDNS AND EXTREME HEAT BUT THEIR ATHS ARE RERD AS NATURAL.”THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT ACKNOWLEDG ATHS HAVE OCCURRED BUT SAYS QATAR HAS MA SIGNIFINT REFORMS TO PROTECT WORKERS RIGHTS, CLUDG ABOLISHG THE KAFALA SYSTEM.THE SYSTEM TIED WORKERS TO THEIR EMPLOYER, WHO WERE RPONSIBLE FOR THE WORKER’S VISA AND LEGAL STAT. HUMAN RIGHTS ANISATNS HAVE CRICISED THE SYSTEM, WHICH HAS SEEN EMPLOYERS WHHOLD WORKERS’ PASSPORTS.“I'M NOT SAYG WE ARE PERFECT,” MR AL-KHORI SAID.“BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR VELOPMENTS AND CHANG THE LABOUR LAWS THAT ARE FAVOUR OF THE WORKERS.”ATRALIA'S SOCCEROOS WILL PLAY THEIR WORLD CUP GROUP MATCH AT THE AL JANOUB STADIUM QATAR. CRED: SIDHIK KEERANTAKATH/EYEPIX GROUP/FUTURE PUBLISHG VIA GETTY IMAGAMNTY INTERNATNAL HAS URGED FIFA TO SET ASI US$440 LN ($631 LN) TO PENSATE WHAT CLAIMS IS HUNDREDS OF THOANDS OF MIGRANT WORKERS THAT SUFFERED HUMAN RIGHTS AB.“THEY [FIFA] ARE DUE TO MAKE [US]$6 BILLN [$8.6 BILLN] OFF THIS WORLD CUP. SO $440 LN IS A DROP THE OCEAN,” MS WHE SAID.ATRALIA WILL PLAY ALL THREE OF S GROUP STAGE MATCH, AGAST FRANCE, DENMARK AND TUNISIA AT AL JANOUB STADIUM AL-WAKRAH, WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MUT DRIVE OM QATAR'S PAL, DOHA.TEAMS, CLUDG THE SOCCEROOS, ARE NSIRG HIGHLIGHTG THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS QATAR BY TAKG A LLECTIVE STAND WHEN THE TOURNAMENT STARTS ON 21 NOVEMBER.WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY WH SBS NEWS? EMAIL LGBTIQ+ ATRALIANS SEEKG SUPPORT WH MENTAL HEALTH N NTACT QLIFE ON 1800 184 527 OR VIS .  ALSO HAS A LIST OF SUPPORT SERVIC.SHARE6 M READPUBLISHED 6 AUGT 2022 7:30AMBY ADRIAN ARCIULISOURCE: SBS NEWSAVAILABLE OTHER LANGUAGTAGSWORLDFIFA WORLD CUP 2022SHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHARETOPICS
• UK MISTER CRICISED OVER LL FOR GAY WORLD CUP FANS TO SHOW RPECT QATAR
• BOYTT QATAR? IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE: GAY FOOTBALL EXPERTS ON DIFFICULT CHOICE FACG WORLD CUP FANS
• OUTRAGE AS QATAR WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR SAYS BEG GAY IS ‘DAMAGE THE MD’ AS HOMOSEXUAL FANS ULD FACE EXECUTN

A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

“It don’t matter if you’re lbian, if you’re gay, ’s for everyone.

WE ASKED IF GAY FANS WILL BE SAFE AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR. THIS IS WHAT THE HOSTS SAIDSBS NEWS TRAVELLED TO QATAR TO QUTN THE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSU THREATENG TO OVERSHADOW THE WORLD'S BIGGT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT, WHICH KICKS OFF ON 21 NOVEMBER.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GENERATN AMAZG, NASSER AL-KHORI, SAYS QATAR WANTS TO SHOW THE WORLD IS A PROGRSIVE STATE THE MIDDLE EAST. CRED: ADRIAN ARCIULIALMOST 12 YEARS AGO, QATAR SHOCKED THE WORLD, WNG THE RIGHT TO HOST THE WORLD’S BIGGT FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT.THEN FIFA PRINT SEPP BLATTER ANNOUNCED WOULD BEE THE FIRST MIDDLE EASTERN NATN TO STAGE THE TOURNAMENT 2022, WH ATRALIA AMONG THOSE OVERLOOKED. ATRALIA RECEIVED JT ONE VOTE AFTER SPENDG MORE THAN $40 LN ON S BID.BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM; QATAR'S RERD ON HUMAN RIGHTS. LGBTIQ+ RIGHTSHOMOSEXUAL ACTIVY IS A CRIMAL OFFENCE QATAR AND IS PUNISHABLE WH A JAIL SENTENCE — EVEN ATH SOME CIRCUMSTANC.BUT THE ANISG MTEE FOR THIS YEAR'S FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR HAS TOLD SBS NEWS LGBTIQ+ FANS WON'T FACE ANY DISCRIMATN DURG THE TOURNAMENT.FANS OF GERMANY'S MEN'S FOOTBALL TEAM HOLD UP SIGNS AT WEMBLEY DURG EURO 2020 LAST YEAR. SOURCE: GETTY / MARK GILLIAR - GES SPORTFOTOFATMA AL-NUAIMI, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITNS FOR THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT, SAYS QATAR HAS HOSTED AROUND 600 TERNATNAL EVENTS SCE BEG AWARD HOSTG RIGHTS AND CLAIMS THERE HASN’T BEEN ONE CINT OF DISCRIMATN.“WE KEEP ASSURG EVERYONE THAT EVERYONE IS WELE,” MS AL-NUAIMI TOLD SBS NEWS.“EVERYONE WILL BE ABLE TO E, ENJOY THE GAM AND SUPPORT THEIR TEAMS, REGARDLS OF THEIR BACKGROUND, RELIGN OR GENR.”FATMA AL-NUAIMI SAYS QATAR HAS HOSTED AROUND 600 TERNATNAL EVENTS SCE BEG AWARD THE FIFA WORLD CUP RIGHTS.FANS THOUGH AREN'T SO SURE. FOR THE SEND FIFA WORLD CUP SUCCSN, JAM CARDALL HAS ZERO TERT ATTENDG.MR CARDALL, WHO IS THE PRINT OF PRI FOOTBALL ATRALIA, SAYS ’S "DISGRACEFUL" THAT FIFA HAS AWARD NSECUTIVE EDNS OF THE TOURNAMENT TO UNTRI [RSIA AND QATAR] THAT HE BELIEV HAVE "DIRE AND POOR" OPNS OF THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY.“CONSIRG THEY BRAND FOOTBALL AS THE GLOBAL GAME, 'S QUE HYPOCRIL,” HE SAID. READ MORETHE WORLD CUP QATAR IS LS THAN A YEAR AWAY; HERE’S WHY LGBTIQ+ SOCCEROOS FANS WON’T BE GOGIT'S EXPECTED MORE THAN A LN PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL TO QATAR FOR THIS YEAR'S FIFA WORLD CUP. BUT FOR PRI FOOTBALL ATRALIA'S 500 MEMBERS, 'S A TRIP NOT ONE OF THEM WILL BE MAKG.“WE DON'T FEEL CLUD, WE ACTUALLY FEEL EXCLUD OM THE TOURNAMENT SELF,” MR CARDALL SAID.“I THK 'S A PRETTY POOR SHOWG OM FIFA AND QATAR AS WELL.”FIFA, THE ERNG BODY FOR WORLD FOOTBALL, REMAS NFINT THE PROMIS OF CLN WILL BE UPHELD, ADDG THAT SUPPORTERS WILL BE EE TO FLY RABOW FLAGS AT MATCH.“WE'VE RECEIVED THE NECSARY GUARANTE, WE ARE TRAG ALL THE OFFICIALS, WE ARE WORKG HAND HAND WH THE ERNMENT, WH THE POLICE THORI, EVERYONE WILL BE WELE,” FIFA PRINT GIANNI INFANTO TOLD THE QATAR ENOMIC FOM LATE JUNE.NASSER AL-KHORI, WHO LEADS GENERATN AMAZG, A SOCIAL AND HUMAN LEGACY IATIVE FOR THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT, SAID QATAR WAS MORE PROGRSIVE THAN S NEIGHBOURS BUT HOP ALL VISORS WILL RPECT QATARI CULTURE AND TRADNS.“WE WANT TO SHOW TO THE WORLD THAT WE ARE SORT OF A PROGRSIVE STATE THE REGN,” MR AL-KHORI TOLD SBS NEWS.“WE ARE MORNISG, BUT OUR OWN SORT OF WAY, STICKG TO OUR INTY, OUR CULTURE, OUR ROOTS.”NASSER AL-KHORI SAYS QATAR WANTS TO SHOW THE WORLD IS A PROGRSIVE STATE THE MIDDLE EAST CRED: ADRIAN ARCIULITHE MSAGG AROUND CULTURE FOLLOWS THAT OF THE EMIR OF QATAR, SHEIKH TAMIM B HAMAD AL-THANI.WHEN ASKED A QUTN EARLIER THIS YEAR ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF VISORS OM THE LGBTIQ+ MUNY, HE SAID: “WE WELE EVERYBODY, BUT WE ALSO EXPECT AND WANT PEOPLE TO RPECT OUR CULTURE”. BUT WRG A CANADIAN NEWSPAPER LAST MONTH, RASHA YOUN, A REARCHER WH HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH'S LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR RIGHTS PROGRAM, SAID: "QATAR’S STEADY REFERENCE TO “CULTURE” TO NY LGBT PEOPLE’S RIGHTS FLECTS RPONSIBILY AWAY OM ABIVE STATE SYSTEMS". "'CULTURE' SHOULD NOT BE ED AS A VER FOR DISURSE, PRACTIC, AND LEGISLATN THAT HAVE EFFECTIVELY EXCLUD NTENT RELATED TO SEXUAL ORIENTATN AND GENR INTY OM THE PUBLIC SPHERE."WORKER RIGHTSWHEN QATAR WAS AWARD HOSTG RIGHTS 2010, THE NATN HAD A POPULATN OF JT 1.85 LN PEOPLE. IT HAS SCE GROWN TO ALMOST 3 LN. THE TOTAL LAND SIZE OF THE GULF NATN IS ONLY 11,751 SQUARE KILOMETR, MAKG SMALLER THAN SYDNEY.HOSTG THE FIFA WORLD CUP WAS EVERY B THE GROUND-BREAKG OPPORTUNY FOR QATAR — THE FIRST THE ARAB WORLD TO DO SO. IT REQUIRED SIGNIFINT VELOPMENT WH A WORKFORCE TO MATCH.THOANDS OF MIGRANTS HAVE BEEN DRAFTED TO PLETE THE WORK TIME BUT ACRDG TO HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, MANY HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THE JOB.AMNTY INTERNATNAL ATRALIA REARCHER NIKA WHE SAYS ’S UNCLEAR EXACTLY HOW MANY WORKERS HAVE DIED BUILDG ASTCTURE RELATED TO THE FIFA WORLD CUP.READ MOREATRALIAN FOOTBALL STAR SAM KERR BE FIRST WOMAN TO APPEAR ON GLOBAL FIFA VER“UNFORTUNATELY, QATAR DON'T PUBLISH STATISTICS ON WORKERS WHO'VE DIED,” MS WHE SAID. “WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THOANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE DIED WORKG ON THE WORLD CUP AND WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR ATHS HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY FOLLOWED UP BY THE QATAR THORI.”“OFTEN, THEY ARE VERY F HEALTHY YOUNG MEN AND THEY DIE AFTER WORKG REALLY LONG HOURS EXTREME NDNS AND EXTREME HEAT BUT THEIR ATHS ARE RERD AS NATURAL.”THE SUPREME COMMTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY OF THE TOURNAMENT ACKNOWLEDG ATHS HAVE OCCURRED BUT SAYS QATAR HAS MA SIGNIFINT REFORMS TO PROTECT WORKERS RIGHTS, CLUDG ABOLISHG THE KAFALA SYSTEM.THE SYSTEM TIED WORKERS TO THEIR EMPLOYER, WHO WERE RPONSIBLE FOR THE WORKER’S VISA AND LEGAL STAT. HUMAN RIGHTS ANISATNS HAVE CRICISED THE SYSTEM, WHICH HAS SEEN EMPLOYERS WHHOLD WORKERS’ PASSPORTS.“I'M NOT SAYG WE ARE PERFECT,” MR AL-KHORI SAID.“BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR VELOPMENTS AND CHANG THE LABOUR LAWS THAT ARE FAVOUR OF THE WORKERS.”ATRALIA'S SOCCEROOS WILL PLAY THEIR WORLD CUP GROUP MATCH AT THE AL JANOUB STADIUM QATAR. CRED: SIDHIK KEERANTAKATH/EYEPIX GROUP/FUTURE PUBLISHG VIA GETTY IMAGAMNTY INTERNATNAL HAS URGED FIFA TO SET ASI US$440 LN ($631 LN) TO PENSATE WHAT CLAIMS IS HUNDREDS OF THOANDS OF MIGRANT WORKERS THAT SUFFERED HUMAN RIGHTS AB.“THEY [FIFA] ARE DUE TO MAKE [US]$6 BILLN [$8.6 BILLN] OFF THIS WORLD CUP. SO $440 LN IS A DROP THE OCEAN,” MS WHE SAID.ATRALIA WILL PLAY ALL THREE OF S GROUP STAGE MATCH, AGAST FRANCE, DENMARK AND TUNISIA AT AL JANOUB STADIUM AL-WAKRAH, WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MUT DRIVE OM QATAR'S PAL, DOHA.TEAMS, CLUDG THE SOCCEROOS, ARE NSIRG HIGHLIGHTG THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS QATAR BY TAKG A LLECTIVE STAND WHEN THE TOURNAMENT STARTS ON 21 NOVEMBER.WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR STORY WH SBS NEWS? EMAIL LGBTIQ+ ATRALIANS SEEKG SUPPORT WH MENTAL HEALTH N NTACT QLIFE ON 1800 184 527 OR VIS .  ALSO HAS A LIST OF SUPPORT SERVIC.SHARE6 M READPUBLISHED 6 AUGT 2022 7:30AMBY ADRIAN ARCIULISOURCE: SBS NEWSAVAILABLE OTHER LANGUAGTAGSWORLDFIFA WORLD CUP 2022SHARE THIS WH FAY AND IENDSCOPY LKSHARETOPICS

Homosexualy Qatar is illegal and punishable by up to three years prison. But there have been mixed msag wh a World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman sayg earlier this month that homosexualy was “damage the md, ” an terview wh German broadster ZDF.

He is a regular at England ternatnals and was once the victim of a homophobic asslt, he says, at Wembley four years ago, ahead of England’s match agast Spa 2018, when he had an altertn wh another fan.

UK MISTER CRICISED OVER LL FOR GAY WORLD CUP FANS TO SHOW RPECT QATAR

However, homosexualy is illegal and punishable by ath the Gulf state where he will now play football.

"Read more:Beg gay is 'damage the md', Qatar World Cup ambassador saysGary Leker says he knows two gay Premier League stars. Qatari law crimaliz sex outsi marriage, cludg gay sex.

In the terpretatn of Sharia law that Qatar follows, sex outsi of marriage, cludg homosexualy, is punishable by jail time and, as a maximum sentence, ath by stong, though there isn’t available evince that such a punishment has ever been ed. Nasser Mohamed, a gay Qatari livg exile the US, explaed to Vox.

BOYTT QATAR? IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE: GAY FOOTBALL EXPERTS ON DIFFICULT CHOICE FACG WORLD CUP FANS

So ’s really hard to build a gay muny. Mohamed left Qatar his 20s for medil school “wh the tentn of never g back” bee of the limed life he led as a gay man there.

Though there are small pockets of LGBTQ people Qatar, there’s not a gay scene, Mohamed said. “If you’re an expat, you’re able to live your life like you want, ” a gay Arab man livg Doha told Rters. I know gay men workers’ mps wouldn’t be able to live the same way.

It will be a glor month to be a gay fan.

OUTRAGE AS QATAR WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR SAYS BEG GAY IS ‘DAMAGE THE MD’ AS HOMOSEXUAL FANS ULD FACE EXECUTN

Last time at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the Netherlands lay claim to the honor of beg the team wh the most out LGBTQ players, but this year Atralia boasts 10 out players and overtak them for the tle of Gayt Team 2k23.

Ireland’s historic entry to the tournament marks another triumph for out midfielr Sead Farrelly, whose natnal team but and 2023 return to the NWSL e more than six years after retirg om soccer the wake of systemic homophobic and sexual abe wh the league, which the Athletic first reported on 2021. If a [male] footballer out everybody’s like: ‘A gay footballer? ’ I wish every gay footballer n e out and be accepted by everybody.

"Today I feel tired bee I jt land, but I feel very happy, " he said a playful nod to a ntroversial speech he livered Doha when he claimed to feel "gay", "disabled" and "a migrant worker".