DOHA — Signs placed at Qatar World Cup venues have warned fans not to unfurl political banners in the stadiums — meaning England supporters who wish to show solidarity with the protest movement that has erupted in Iran during the Three Lions’ opening group game face clashes with security personnel.
Prohibited items at World Cup venues on the official Fifa signage include “any item containing wording/images with political, offensive and/or discriminatory messages”.
Mass protests have been taking place in Iran since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while held in custody for allegedly breaking strict hijab rules. Iran Human Rights have reported that more than 300 protesters have been killed by security forces as discontent spread throughout the country.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz insisted during a press conference in Doha this week that his players could protest if they wanted to provided they did so within Fifa’s rules.
“The players are free to protest as they would if they were from any other country as long as it conforms with the World Cup regulations and is in the spirit of the game. Everybody has the right to express themselves.”
But Queiroz, the former Real Madrid coach and Manchester United assistant manager, turned the tables on a British reporter who asked if he was OK representing Iran, a country that represses women’s rights, during the tournament.
“You guys are used to bending your knees in the games and some people agree, some people don’t agree with that, and in Iran it’s exactly the same,” Queiroz said. “How much you pay me to answer that question?… Don’t put in my mouth words that I did not say. You should start to think about what happened with the immigrants in England also. Go think about that.”
Sources from the Supreme Committee, the World Cup organisers, insisted to i that rainbow flags would not fall under the umbrella of political messaging and would not be prohibited from stadiums.
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World Cup CEO Nasser Al-Khater said in December 2020 that the rainbow symbol for gay pride would be welcomed at the tournament.
“We will see a progressive change in all of those aspects and rainbow flags, T-shirts will all be welcome in the stadium – that’s a given. They [Fifa] understand very well that is our stance,” Al-Khater said. “When it comes to the rainbow flags in the stadiums, Fifa have their own guidelines, they have their rules and regulations. Whatever they may be, we will respect them.”
However, leading Qatari official Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari said in April that fans could have rainbow flags removed to protect them from others.
“If he [a fan] raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him,” Al Ansari said. “Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack [him] … I cannot guarantee the behaviour of the whole people. And I will tell him: ‘Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point.’”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino was widely criticised after circulating a letter to all 32 countries competing in the World Cup requesting that they “stick to football” and “not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists”.
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