The World Cup is always an event long awaited by all soccer fans. As everyone knows, it happens every four years in a different country, chosen by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), soccer’s world governing body. Although the World Cup is very much expected in 2022, the country FIFA chose, Qatar, makes people feel a lot insecure. The reasons are the Homophobic Laws Qatar has against human rights. According to their Penal Code (2004), same-sex sexual activity is prohibited, which criminalizes acts of “sodomy” and “sexual intercourse” between people of the same sex. Besides that, Qatar operates an interpretation of Sharia law that criminalizes sexual activity between men, considering even getting arrested for that. Where it was supposed to be a place to celebrate one of the greatest events in the world, it became a worry.
“Will people be respected during the World Cup?” was a frequently asked question to those who will be in Doha to watch the games. Hassan Al Thawadi, a general secretary of the supreme committee from Qatar, said to GE Globo “The event is going to be to everyone, like all the other editions, regardless of race, religion, color, sexuality or nationality” and finished saying that “we don’t worry about private lives”, what contradicts the fact that people are told to be aware and to not walk holding hands or showing any affection in public, both LGBTQIA+ community and heterosexuals. Apart from that, journalists from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway proved what is happening: hotels indicated by FIFA are rejecting LGBTQIA+ couples’ reservations from staying in the country during the World Cup.
Nas Mohamed, who was born in Qatar, was interviewed by BBC and told he needed to keep his homosexuality secret for many years because he was afraid to die in his own country: “I lived with constant fear. I thought they would kill me if they knew I were gay if this became public. I think my own family would kill me”. He concludes by saying that, in Qatar, he would be “breaking the law”. Getting fans from all over the world in a disrespectful place can cause a lot of trouble. The German midfielder Toni Kroos declared against the choice of the host, considering it a “mistake”, thanks to the criminal offenses against human rights, related to the LGBTQIA+ community and also the work conditions in the country, mostly targeted at migrants, who also suffer prejudice and discrimination.
Tainá Macori, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a die-hard fan of soccer, thinks that the World Cup being hosted by a country where homosexuality is considered illegal means a decrease in the fight against homophobia: “It means a decrease, especially in soccer, which is a sport where the homophobia is still big, by the fans and the players that feel they can not come out”. She concludes by saying that this only shows people that “we are still at the beginning of this fight”. The fact FIFA knows about those troubles and chooses Qatar anyway could mean they do not care about it. Tainá complements: “It shows FIFA does not care about our fights when it comes to money. They want to profit because the place where the World Cup is chosen, now, is much more about business” and she sees it as a big problem for the sport. Another topic is the distance it could cause fans, especially members of the community. “I think I wouldn’t go to the games. Watching a World Cup game is a dream for all of the big soccer fans, as I am. But watching a game where you are performing a dream and need to worry about not being yourself or hiding who you are, I would feel very bad”. She finishes by saying that this prejudice could put fans away, not only on the stadiums, but on TVs. “I’ll watch as I always do, but this time in disagreement with the country. Soccer is global, and even knowing it’s a cultural topic, this should be rethought”.
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The article above was edited by Giovana Lins Barbosa.
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