London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 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
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×