FA urged to use influence to protect rainbow symbol in time for Saudi World Cup

The Football Association should use its influence over the sport’s laws to protect the rainbow symbol in time for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, a senior figure within an England LGBTQ+ fans’ group has said.

Joe White, the co-chair of Three Lions Pride, said the FA had been “naive” in accepting Saudi assurances that LGBTQ+ supporters would be safe and welcome before agreeing to support the bid of a country which criminalises same-sex relationships.

White said the FA should now use its position within the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to change Law 4, governing players’ equipment, to prevent a repeat of what happened in Qatar two years ago.

England and other nations backed out of plans to have their captains wear rainbow-coloured ‘OneLove’ armbands after they were threatened with sanctions starting at a yellow card by FIFA.

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“The FA has power, it has influence,” White told the PA news agency.

“What I would love the FA to pick up is to protect the rainbow symbol as a non-political statement.

“For any chance of this not continually being an issue at every World Cup moving forward, it needs that protected status so that it’s allowed in stadiums at every match and cannot be penalised.

“It would just take a bit of the power out of the hands of hosts, and ultimately FIFA as well, because the decision would have been made.

“Obviously at IFAB, FIFA can veto something. But I think if FIFA vetoed that (law change) and it became public knowledge, FIFA would be in a difficult situation.”

FIFA has a bloc of four votes within the IFAB, with the associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales holding the other four.

The FA explained it had given its support to the Saudi bid after it had met representatives from the country’s football association last month.

“We asked them to commit to ensuring all fans would be safe and welcome in Saudi Arabia in 2034 – including LGBTQ+ fans. They assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcome environment for all fans,” it said.

Asked for their view on the FA’s statement on Wednesday, White said: “Naive at best, ignorant and wilfully obtuse at worst.”

“All the FA statement is saying is, ‘we know this is an issue but we’re still going to vote for you’. They could have abstained,” they added.

“It’s saying: ‘We’re still going to vote for the tournament to go here, where we know our fans will not feel safe, and it’s fine because they’ve promised that nothing will happen to you’.

“That completely forgets the fact that a FIFA bubble around the tournament does not stop our outrage or our frustration at another tournament being hosted in a country that criminalises our existence.”

White pointed out a Saudi religious leader had objected to a 2021 United Nations resolution which used the terms ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender recognition’ and described homosexual acts as “abhorrent” and “despicable”.

A report published earlier this week by the Alwan Foundation on LGBTQ+ rights said that in Saudi Arabia: “Public platforms, including official religious sermons, are used to incite hatred against LGBTQ+ individuals.”

It added: “Efforts to raise awareness or advocate for the rights of this marginalised group are actively suppressed, directly impacting individuals’ lives and exacerbating social discrimination.”

The report goes on to reference individuals who have been imprisoned, attacked or denied access to services, including report author Tariq Aziz, a Saudi national who was detained in their home country for their stance on LGBTQ+ rights before seeking asylum in the United States.

The report concludes by calling on all GCC countries to adopt explicit laws recognising LGBTQ+ rights.