Supporters responded to Uefa’s decision to block the Allianz Arena from lighting up in rainbow colours by filling the stadium with flags, wigs, masks and socks in support of the LGBT+ community when Germany took on Hungary at Euro 2020 on Wednesday night.
It was a colourful scene ahead of kick-off as fans descended on the stadium in Munich, with flags offered out and many already donning rainbow socks, masks and wigs.
The flurry of rainbow colours, synonymous with the LGBT+ community, comes after Uefa rejected a proposal from Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter to have Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena lit up.
The mayor of Munich had planned the gesture after Viktor Orban’s government passed a law in Hungary banning LBGT+ content in schools or in TV shows for under-18s.
Hungarian PM Orban cancelled his trip to Munich amid the protests, the Guardian reported, while clubs in a number of cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Bremen and Dusseldorf, are set to light up their stadia during Wednesday night’s match in a show of solidarity.
In pictures: Germany fans protest Uefa ban
Uefa insist gesture is ‘political’
The ban on lighting up the stadium has faced a significant backlash. On Tuesday, i reported how LGBT+ groups accused Uefa of being “no ally of the community”.
Uefa initially released a statement saying it had “proposed alternative dates for the illumination which align better with existing events”, accepting that Germany wanted “to promote diversity and inclusion”.
On Wednesday, it altered its branding to include rainbow colours and added in a further statement:
“Some people have interpreted Uefa’s decision to turn down the city of Munich’s request to illuminate the Munich stadium in rainbow colours for a Euro 2020 match as ‘political’.
“On the contrary, the request itself was political, linked to the Hungarian football team’s presence in the stadium for this evening’s match with Germany.
“For Uefa, the rainbow is not a political symbol, but a sign of our firm commitment to a more diverse and inclusive society”.
Neuer’s rainbow armband
Uefa dropped an investigation into Germany goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer for wearing a rainbow coloured armband during his team’s group stage matches against France and Portugal – an armband he also wore against Hungary.
The governing body had initiated an investigation to determine whether or not Neuer had breached rules relating to “on-field political statements” before it emerged that the case had been closed.
On Sunday, Germany’s football association [Deutscher Fußball-Bund] confirmed the news, saying: “Uefa have today shared with the DFB that they have stopped the review of the rainbow captain’s armband worn by Manuel Neuer.
“In a letter, the armband has been assessed as a team symbol for diversity and thus for a ‘good cause.’”
More from i on Euro 2020
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- In praise of Emma Hayes, the best pundit at Euro 2020 so far
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3j8aQEc
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