Liverpool football club's LGBT+ fans boycott World Cup
Liverpool's LGBT+ fan group say some people in football are more "interested in money than human rights”
Last updated 3rd Nov 2022
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is around the corner and concerns are still being raised about how it's host country, Qatar, will treat LGBTQ+ spectators.
More than a million football fans from around the world are expected to gather in Qatar for this month's men's World Cup, but concerns over how LGBT+ visitors will be treated are growing.
Paul Amann is the founding member of Kop Outs, an organisation that has campaigned to end discrimination in football since 2016.
Paul told us: “We don’t know of any LGBT+ fan that wants to go to Qatar.
“Qatar had the opportunity to change, by being given the world cup, and they refused to do so.
“The change that we want is a change from a law that currently says ‘if your gay you can be killed’ or imprisoned or subject to conversion therapy, which is basically torture, or be forced in to exile.
“Now if that’s the situation for LGBT+ citizens of Qatar, how can we as LGBT+ people think about going to a place that treats its own citizens so badly?”
Kop Outs say: “We exist for LGBT fans of Liverpool, to help us enjoy the match and be treated with dignity and respect.”
Paul told us: “There are persecutions taking place in too many countries in the world.
"I think the FIFA arrangements are so transparently corrupt with the awarding to Qatar in the first place that too many people involved in football are more interested in money than human rights.”
As well as not attending the games, organisations are taking a stand in other ways too.
Paul said: “Up to the world cup we are part of a national campaign called ‘No Pride Without All’.
“You’re gonna see organisation logos going from lots of colour, to grey scale.
“That’s as a almost silent campaign to say to everybody in the world, ‘this years world cup isn’t inclusive.’”
Despite homosexuality being illegal in Qatar, and can be punishable by death, officials have claimed that the country is safe for LGBTQ+ fans and players to visit during the World Cup.
Qatar's World Cup chief, Nasser Al Khater has given assurances to LGBTQ+ fans that they will be welcomed at the tournament.
He said: “We have always said that everyone is welcome here, all we ask is that people are respectful of the culture.”
Qatar's treatment of the LGBT+ community will be in the spotlight when the men's World Cup kicks off on 20th November.