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European soccer teams have been pressured into dropping armbands expressing solidarity with the LGBTQ community which were going to be worn during games at the Qatar World Cup.
The rainbow-colored “OneLove” armbands were set to be worn by several team captains as a message of inclusion and equality throughout the tournament.
LGBTQ rights have been central to the torrent criticisms leveled against the 2010 decision to allow the conservative Muslim nation of Qatar to host the world’s most-watched sporting event. Homosexuality can be punished by the country’s secular courts with life imprisonment, while its Sharia courts can impose the death penalty for gay sex between men. Earlier this month, an official FIFA Qatar World Cup Ambassador described homosexuality as “damage in the mind” during an interview.