With less than six months to go before the World Cup begins, all eyes are on the Qatari government. The Arab country, which has an outdated code of ethics, has come out in the wake of information circulating on social media about the punishments for displaying flags in favor of the LGBTI + community. On social media, messages have been spread in which, allegedly, a “spokesman for the World Cup in Qatar”, which will be played between November 21 and December 18, announces that “whoever wears the LGBTI + flag in the World Cup Soccer World will be arrested for seven or eleven years. ” This will not be the case, and the Qatari government will not punish with prison sentences people who fly the flag of the collective during the celebration of the World Cup.
The statements have boiled down networks, media and digital portals. The lack of freedom of women and the precarious working conditions of the workers of the Islamic country who have participated in the construction of the stadiums had already been a reason for complaint and recrimination in the face of the World Cup. Now, the alleged statements calling for “respect for our religion, beliefs and culture” by Qatar World Cup spokesman Nasser al-Khater have once again called into question the suitability of holding the World Cup in a country with this positioning.
The reality, fortunately, will be very different. The Qatari embassy in Spain has assured that people who wear the LGBTI + flag will not be punished with prison sentences during the celebration of the World Cup, as EFE has reported. Sources at Qatar’s embassy in Spain have told the news agency that these statements were not made by “any spokesperson or person” related to the organization of the World Cup. In fact, these same sources explained that “it is not illegal to display a rainbow flag” in the country.
