Stuff Digital Edition

UP FOR THE CUP?

Rainbows reign at controversial Qatar World Cup

Matt Lawton

Not for the first time at this World Cup, there is a disparity between what Fifa promises and what the Qatari hosts are prepared to deliver.

The ban on stadium beer sales was significant because it left Fifa in an extremely awkward position with a major sponsor only two days before the tournament began.

Last week Fifa opened the fan zone here in Doha with a message that everyone was welcome, extending an invitation to gay couples to be themselves without fear of recrimination.

But the reality is quite different and causing further damage to a Fifa brand already bruised by the ‘‘One Love’’ armband dispute.

When Fifa discovered last week that stadium security staff were confiscating rainbow-coloured items of clothing from fans, it responded by once again asking the Qataris to respect the views of others.

Sadly, it has been ignored again and Fifa has been reminded who is actually in charge here.

The Qataris – who also suffered the ignominity of being dumped out of their own tournament yesterday after losing to Senegal –have become petty. Yesterday, before England’s match, a colleague from The Times was briefly detained for wearing a rainbow wristband.

An Iran fan had a T-shirt bearing the name of Mahsa Amini – the young woman who recently died in the custody of the Iranian police – confiscated.

The Qataris appear to be growing rather tired of being told how to conduct themselves by the Western media. And a global federation that is meant to promote inclusion and diversity has allowed itself to be belittled.

It is extraordinary that some of the biggest nations in Fifa find themselves at odds with the ruling body, staging protests in defiance of both Qatari law and Fifa – an organisation that threatened the team captains of seven European teams with sporting sanctions if they wore their rainbow-coloured armbands.

The Germans covered their mouths during their team photograph while other countries have displayed rainbow colours at their training grounds. Yesterday the FA lit up the Wembley arch in rainbow colours too. If that was seen as a slightly meek gesture compared with some, the FA’s chief executive Mark Bullingham attempted to articulate the heavy-handed approach of Fifa in an interview with ITV.

‘‘It’s very important to understand what happened here,’’ he said. ‘‘They came with five officials and they ran us through a scenario where at a minimum anyone wearing the armband would be booked and face disciplinary action on top of that.’’

Quite why Bullingham has left it until now to reveal this detail is anyone’s guess, and reduces the entire episode to something that should perhaps be filed along with everything at this World Cup that is not exactly as it seems.

True to form, Fifa yesterday claimed attendance figures for the first round of group-stage matches stood at 94%. All those empty seats suggest otherwise.

Fifa has been reminded who is actually in charge here.

FRONT PAGE

en-nz

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282557317217720

Stuff Limited