Wales confronts FIFA over rainbow hats removed from fans

The Wales football federation says it has asked FIFA for clarity on reports some Wales fans were stopped from taking rainbow-coloured hats into a World Cup stadium.

The Welsh federation said it was involved in creating the hats for fans to wear in Qatar, starting against the United States on Monday.

Rainbow imagery, a symbol of LGBTQ rights, is controversial in a country where same-sex relations are criminalised.

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Fans cheer ahead the World Cup, group B soccer match between the United States and Wales, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

Fans and some staff members were "asked to remove and discard their Rainbow Wall bucket hats before entry to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium," the Football Association of Wales said in a statement on Tuesday, adding it was "extremely disappointed"

"The (federation) has collated information on these alleged incidents and will be addressing this matter directly with FIFA," it said.

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FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former Wales footballer Laura McAllister, a gay woman and past FIFA Council candidate, spoke to BBC about being asked to remove her "rainbow wall" bucket hat before entering the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

She described the incident that unfolded as "pretty heavy handed".

Laura McAllister is asked to remove her bucket hat by stadium security.

"As we were queuing to go into the stadium we'd heard that there'd been issues with some people in front of us who'd been asked to take off their hats to go into the stadium," McAllister told BBC Breakfast.

"So fortunately a few of us further back in the queue knew what was likely to happen and sure enough as we went through security we were told by some of the stewards that we couldn't enter the stadium wearing our rainbow hats."

McAllister said she asked why they were not allowed but didn't get much clarity.

"Clearly I wasn't going to just take off my hat straightaway," she said.

Laura McAllister on BBC Breakfast

"So we engaged in a conversation about that, although we didn't get a great deal of sense as to why you have to ban because it runs counter to everything we've talked about FIFA allowing the rainbow symbols to be present in the stadium, but they were pretty adamant about not being allowed to wear that.

"We were told it was a regulation - clearly I work in football, I work with UEFA, so I know the regulations - so I asked which regulation it applied to and we weren't told that."

McAllister said her friends similarly had rainbow wrist bands and shoe laces removed before entering the stadium.

"We're here to live our own values as a nation and with Wales being in the World Cup for the first time in six decades, it's important to show what our country's all about, and that is about inclusion and tolerance and diversity," she said.

In April, a senior Qatari security official overseeing tournament preparations suggested fans carrying rainbow flags could have them removed to protect them from possible attacks.



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