Wales soccer followers who had been attending their groups’ opening encounter in opposition to the USA in Qatar on the Ahmed Bin Ali stadium had been stopped by safety for donning rainbow bucket hats on Monday night time.
Some Welsh followers had been refused entry into the stadium tonight till they gave up their rainbow colored bucket hat. 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/vgxQMyhFmb
— World Cup Updates (@wc22updates) November 21, 2022
Footage appeared on-line and confirmed former Wales captain Laura McAllister being requested to take her rainbow hat off. Thereafter stories emerged that the hats had been being confiscated. “I identified that FIFA had made a lot of feedback about supporting LGBT rights on this event, and stated to them that coming from a nation the place we’re very obsessed with equality for all folks, I wasn’t going to take my hat off,” she was quoted as saying to ITV. “They had been insistent that until I took the hat off we weren’t truly allowed to return into the stadium,” she added.
The hats in query are variations of the enduring Welsh soccer image, designed by the LGBT+ soccer organisation The Rainbow Wall to advertise inclusion and equality within the sport.
“Not the lads, simply ladies. @FIFAcom ARE YOU SERIOUS!!”: The Rainbow Wall wrote on Twitter.
Our rainbow bucket hat. We’re so pleased with them, BUT information on the bottom tonight is our welsh feminine supporters sporting them in #Qatar are having them taken off them, Not the lads, simply Girls. @FIFAcom ARE YOU SERIOUS !!#LGBTQRights 🏴🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️#WeBelong | #NoPrideWithoutAll pic.twitter.com/bvo9y51WzG
— The Rainbow Wall 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🏴 (@TheRainbowWall) November 21, 2022
In the meantime, after Wales earned a 1-1 draw with the USA, supervisor Rob Web page, stated that he was not conscious of the event.
“It’s a disgrace they weren’t allowed to carry them in,” he was quoted as saying.
The incident occurred simply hours after the soccer associations of Wales and England made a U-turn on their determination to put on the OneLove armband in Qatar.