London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 28, 2026

World Cup 2022: Gay Wales fans refuse to go to Qatar

World Cup 2022: Gay Wales fans refuse to go to Qatar

A gay Welsh football fan fears it is not safe for him and his husband to travel to the World Cup in Qatar.

Tournament organisers have said "everybody is welcome" despite homosexuality being illegal in Qatar.

But Seiriol Dawes-Hughes and husband Jamie said they would not travel this November, despite Wales qualifying for the first time in 64 years.

"Before my husband and I go on holiday, the first thing we do is Google gay rights in that country," he said.

"That's something that straight people do not have to do, but it's something that we do every time and it's remarkable how many countries that people go to regularly aren't safe for people like us, and Qatar is definitely one of those."

Fatma Al-Nuaimi, communications executive director of Qatar's supreme committee for organising the tournament, told BBC Sport this year's World Cup was a "tournament for everyone".

Many LGBTQ+ supporters have already said they are boycotting the tournament over civil rights issues


However, some of the Welsh national football team's staff, as well as members of Wales' official LGBTQ+ supporters' group, the Rainbow Wall, are boycotting Qatar over gay rights.

"This is front and centre for us as Welsh football fans and working in the industry," said Mr Dawes-Hughes, 35, from Caernarfon, Gwynedd.

"But there is no way I would go and it's an absolute disgrace that the World Cup is being held there."

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said Wales should "not look the other way" from human rights concerns, while FAW chief executive Noel Mooney said the team would use the event as a "platform" to discuss the issue.

"This is the clearest and most brazen example of sportswashing I can think of," said Mr Dawes-Hughes.

Sportswashing is a term describing countries using sport to improve their image abroad.

"If this was the women's World Cup then a large percentage of the players [who are gay] could not play," he said.

"So the idea that Welsh female players can't go to support their male counterparts in the first World Cup since '58 is completely unacceptable."

Wales players celebrate qualifying for their first World Cup since 1958


He added: "When the decision was made to host the World Cup in Qatar the footballing community needed to come together but that did not happen and it's now too late.

"We have turned a blind eye to human rights and rights of gay people.

"It shows a complete lack of backbone in the football community to make a stand against this. It's unacceptable to host the World Cup in Qatar but it's happening and what can we do - nothing."

Llanelli MP Dame Nia Griffith said: "I fully understand why fans from LGBT community are very nervous about going or perhaps have decided not to go for those reasons and that is very very sad.

"But we need to tackle these issues when decisions are taken on where these events are held."

The FAW said it was part of a working group, with other European nations attending the World Cup, around the matter.

A spokesman added: "The participating nations are keen to influence change as we fully believe in fans being their authentic selves."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Millions of UK Benefit Recipients Receive Payments Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
UK Prime Minister Meets Northern Ireland Leaders in Belfast Over Budget Crisis
Crypto Tax Gains Reach One Point Three Eight Billion Pounds Among UK Investors, HMRC Data Shows
UK Corporate Confidence Rises to Highest Level Since March, Lloyds Survey Shows
Mike Ashley Attacks UK Government Business Rates and Cost-of-Living Policies
Scottish Universities Face Two Hundred Million Pound Annual Funding Gap, Report Warns
Entertainment Figures Urge UK Government to Protect People From AI Voice Cloning
Manchester Airports Group Confirms Customer Data Breached in Cyberattack
Seven Charged Over Vandalism at Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland
Nearly 23,000 UK Households Expected to Move Home on Busiest Day of 2026
UK Benefit Payments to Arrive Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Reform UK Pledges to Replace GDPR and Cut Tax Administration Red Tape
Andy Burnham Launches Work Experience Plan for One Million Young People Outside Education or Work
Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backlash After Dropping Support for Political Donations Cap
Andy Burnham Announces UK-Wide Summit With Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Met Office Warns of Heavy Rain and Flood Risk Across England and Wales After Summer Heat
Bank of England Warns AI Adoption Could Reduce Demand for Automatable Jobs
UK Confirms National Salmonella Outbreak With More Than 200 Cases
UK Airports Handle Record 81 Million Passengers Despite Middle East Disruption
Ofgem Raises UK Energy Price Cap by Four Percent to £1,723
Cyber Attack Hits Customer Data Systems at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands Airports
TSA Unveils Major Airport-Security Overhaul as It Drops Gold+ Privatization Plan
CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO in Secret Moscow Mission
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Middlesbrough House Fire Kills Woman and Seven-Year-Old Girl
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Return to UK Amid Renewed Media Attention
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After London Collision
Greenpeace Threatens Legal Action Over Crown Estate Offshore Wind Leasing
Nvidia Revenue Surges to Ninety-Six Point Two Billion Dollars on Artificial Intelligence Demand
Meta Agrees to Global Youth Safety Changes Following Multi-State Legal Settlement
UK Government Plans Autumn Summit With Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Leaders
CMA Caps Veterinary Prescription Fees at Twenty-One Pounds
Thames Water Pilot Records Forever Chemicals at Thirteen Times the Legal Limit
Kent Meningitis Outbreak Reaches Thirty-Four Confirmed Cases
Forty Children Missing From UK Asylum Accommodation Remain Unaccounted For
UK Court Upholds VAT on Private School Fees
US Designates Palestine Action as Foreign Terrorist Organization
UK Approves Massive New Chinese Embassy Complex in London Amid Security Concerns
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv and Offers Cruise Missile Designs to Ukraine
Glacier Collapse, Not Earthquake, Triggered Deadly Nepal-Tibet Flood
Andy Burnham Drops Plan to Cap Political Donations
Conservative Leadership Contest Intensifies as Robert Jenrick Attacks Kemi Badenoch
French-Born Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Condemns Homophobic Abuse Since Taking Office
UK Government Delays Commercial Robotaxi Rollout in London Over Regulatory Gaps
NHS Complaints About Autism and ADHD Care Waiting Times Triple Over Five Years
UK Government Launches 10,000 Work Placements for Young People With Sainsbury's
NHS England to Offer Free At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Kits
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Delays of Up to Five Hours for British Travellers
US Imposes Economic Sanctions on UK-Based Protest Group Palestine Action
×