London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 30, 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
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
×