London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

World Cup 2022: LGBT Wales fans vow to boycott Qatar tournament

World Cup 2022: LGBT Wales fans vow to boycott Qatar tournament

Some Wales football fans are to boycott the Fifa World Cup in Qatar due to the host country's stance on gay rights.

Wales qualified for the tournament for the first time in 64 years after winning their play-off final against Ukraine.

However Tracy Brown, of Wales' official LGBTQ+ supporters' group, said many members did not believe it was safe to travel to the Middle East in November.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and punishable with prison sentences.

"I, for one, won't go," said Ms Brown, from the Rainbow Wall supporters' group.

"On one hand I'm stoked that we've got there, it's been a long time coming.

"If it was anywhere else in the world I would be thinking I want to be there supporting.

"But I'm going to be sat at home watching us play, because I don't feel safe to go."

Equality campaign group Kick It Out previously announced the formation of a working group to look at inclusivity issues in Qatar.

Fatma Al-Nuaimi, communications executive director of Qatar's supreme committee for organising the tournament, told BBC Sport: "It's a tournament for everyone, a tournament of firsts, and a tournament where everyone will be welcome."

But Ms Brown said that had not convinced her, or others, to change their mind.

"Just saying it's safe while a competition is on doesn't seem right," she said.

"So Fifa said you're safe to be yourself for the period of the World Cup, but when I leave there's still an LGBTQ+ community who pretty much live in hiding.

"They're not safe and I have to stand by my values.

"I want to go to a country where I feel safe and welcome all the time."

Wales players celebrate qualifying for their first World Cup since 1958


The decision by Fifa to host the World Cup in the country has been widely criticised, with Qatar's wider record on human rights also under scrutiny.

Amnesty International have also been critical of Qatar's record on gay rights, as well as its treatment of migrant workers.

Felix Jakens, head of campaigns at Amnesty International UK, said the organisation had "multiple concerns".

"This is a time when footballers in our own country are finally coming out as gay, where there's more acceptance around LGBT people's participation," he said.

"It's shocking that the World Cup is being held in a country where being gay is criminalised."

The Independent newspaper's international editor, David Harding, worked as a journalist in Qatar for four years.

He said supporters who were planning to go to the World Cup would need to be prepared for a very different experience to previous international events.

"People will have to modify their behaviour. That is just a given, you're going to a very strict, conservative, religious country," he said.


Mr Harding said he was confident most LGBTQ+ supporters who chose to go to Qatar would not encounter serious problems, with authorities eager to avoid controversy.

"The LGBTQ community in Qatar are very angry at what Fifa and Qatari officials are doing," he said.

"In effect, they're saying for three weeks we'll go easy, we won't do anything, and then we'll treat Qatari LGBTQ people as bad as we treat them all the time once the World Cup is over.

"There will be some crunch points, if people wave flags or start a protest. I think these sorts of things could lead to problems. The police will not take your side if they feel you are breaking the law".

Ms Brown said she did not know of any LGBTQ+ supporters from the UK who planned to travel.

"Some of my friends are part of [England's official LGBTQ+ supporters' group] the Three Lions Pride Group and they are also having the exact same conversations," she said.

"The vast majority of us wouldn't feel safe.

"I feel like we're missing out on a huge competition because we're choosing to be our authentic selves."


2022 World Cup chief Hassan Al Thawadi tells Dan Roan hosts "ready to welcome the world"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×