Activists urge FIFA to defend LGBTQ rights at World Cup
Rights activists demonstrated outside the FIFA Museum in Zurich on Tuesday to urge world football’s governing body to defend LGBTQ rights during the World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
The groups All Out, Pink Cross, the Swiss Lesbian Organisation and Transgender Network Switzerland staged a kick-about featuring purported representatives of FIFA, Qatar and the LGBTQ community.
All Out campaign manager Justin Lessner said the event was to encourage national teams, footballers and sponsors to show their support for LGBTQ rights in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup will be staged from November 20.
“By staging this football match… it’s kind of symbolic and we are able to score a goal for love and equality,” he said.
The person representing FIFA wore a FIFA t-shirt, while the supposed Qatar representative in the match was dressed as a policeman.
They were chained in front of their goal to stop the LGBTQ team from scoring.
At the end, the FIFA player took off his t-shirt and joined the opposing team, to score a goal.
Participants then kissed “for love and equality”.
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