When Khalid Salman, a 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup Ambassador described homosexuality as “damage in the mind” in an interview this week the backlash was fierce and immediate.
Germany’s midfielder Leon Goretzka called Salman “a man that comes from another millennium … it leaves you speechless that something like this can be said by a World Cup ambassador shortly before a World Cup."
Wales forward Jess Fishlock – an openly gay woman - called the homophobic remarks "very sad and disappointing". "They are not going to change their ways just because it's a World Cup," she told BBC Radio Wales breakfast.
Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, made it clear she was appalled by Salman’s comments, describing them as “terrible”.
Homosexuality is illegal in the Gulf state, prompting many players to raise concerns about how LGBTQ+ supporters travelling to the event will be treated. Organisers have repeatedly said "everyone is welcome" but Qatar 2022 chief executive, Nasser al Khater, confirmed the government would not change its laws on homosexuality, and that all visitors are expected to "respect our culture".
With the kick-off ten days away, the argument over whether the World Cup should ever have been awarded to Qatar is moot. But it is certainly high time to remind FIFA that never again should the “beautiful game” go to a country that does not respect basic human rights.
Already, another country with a poor human rights record, Saudi Arabia, is expected to lead a three-country bid to host the 2030 World Cup. “For many fans, athletes and others, the last decade has been a very bitter lesson”, says Minky Worden, Program Director at Human Rights Watch. “There can never again be a World Cup that does not uphold basic human rights and puts athletes whose job is their place of work in the invidious position of having to fear for their identity.”
Meanwhile, the Qatari government should reject this prejudice expressed by its World Cup ambassador, publicly condemn violence against LGBT people and formally recognize that having same-sex sexual attraction is not a mental health condition.