The BBC has not shied away on pointing out the various human rights problems within Qatar in their FIFA World Cup coverage. Before England’s first group stage match against Iran, BBC presenter and former England player Alex Scott wore a “One Love” armband to promote inclusivity for all.
Scott, who has revealed being in relationships with men and women in the past, including former teammate and Fox analyst Kelly Smith, has been vocal about what’s going on in Qatar. Most notably, she ripped FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his bizarre rant on Sunday.
In the face of some accusing her of being hypocritical for not boycotting, Scott defended her decision to still work the World Cup by using the opportunity to shine a light on the issues while being an LGBTQ woman in Qatar in addition to discussing what goes on during the matches.
The move comes on the heels of FIFA leveraging their power to stop the captains of seven European sides from wearing the “One Love” armband which has a rainbow in the shape of a heart. FIFA threatened handing out yellow cards if players wore the armband. The countries said in a collective statement that they were “prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations” but felt they “cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.”
England instead took a knee before kickoff of their match against Iran, which some Iranian players joined in as they are trying to shine a light on supporting the women’s rights protests currently taking place in their country.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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