Qatar’s LUSAIL — A protester ran onto the field with a rainbow flag on Monday night’s match between Portugal and Uruguay, apparently the first in-game display in favour of LGBTQ rights at the 2022 World Cup.The protester additionally wore a shirt that read “SAVE UKRAINE” and “RESPECT FOR IRANIAN WOMEN.” Before being tackled by security, he ran across the majority of the field from the near sideline.
A protester waving a rainbow flag enters the field during the Portugal-Uruguay game at the 2022 World Cup.
In Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and all LGBTQ people are marginalised, it is forbidden to wave the flag, a universal symbol of LGBTQ pride, while running. Because they were sporting rainbow-colored T-shirts, masks, and hats, fans and journalists were denied entry to venues throughout the opening week of the World Cup.
The World Cup’s organisers have expressed regret for these incidents and given fans the reassurance that wearing pride apparel is acceptable in venues. However, it hasn’t appeared on broadcasts. FIFA also threatened “sporting sanctions” against European teams whose captains wore anti-discrimination armbands with rainbow-colored designs that were similar to, but not exactly the same as the pride colour scheme.
A protester waving a rainbow flag enters the field during the Portugal-Uruguay game at the 2022 World Cup.
The stunt on Monday marked the first occasion during the World Cup in Qatar that the colours appeared on the majority of TVs in America. A fan who dropped the flag on the field before being arrested was briefly captured by some broadcasts.The flag was then picked up by the referee and moved to the side of the field, where it briefly rested by the advertising boards on the pitch. Then a stadium employee sprinted to pick it up and take it off the playing surface.
In all soccer games, most pitch invaders are cut off by the camera in many international broadcasts. However, photographers on the ground were able to fully document the protest.The shirt’s front made a comment about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The back made reference to the women’s rights movement in Iran, which has given rise to significant protests in and around stadiums during this World Cup and has also sparked a brutal crackdown from the oppressive government of that nation.