(Doha) Tired of being criticized, the FIFA president wants us to talk about soccer.
OK.
England 6, Iran 2.
Now let’s talk about the real business. Two extremely tense hours that preceded the kickoff of this game.
England captain Harry Kane had planned to play with a multicolored headband to denounce the discrimination suffered by members of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar. The captains of Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Scotland, the Netherlands and Switzerland had planned the same.
These nations informed FIFA of their intentions in September. Since ? No news. Nothing. No. Then just before England’s opening game, FIFA finally spoke.
Want to wear the headband? Don’t even think about it. Otherwise, we will punish your players.
The federations expected to have to pay a fine. They were obviously ready to assume it. However, FIFA has released heavy artillery: sporting sanctions, up to a yellow card. A yellow card is a Damocles sword. If you have two cards in the same match, you are expelled. Two in the first round, you’re hanging a game.
“As national federations, we cannot ask our players to risk sporting sanctions, including yellow cards,” the seven nations wrote in a joint statement.
Harry Kane therefore appeared on the field with a black armband, on which was written No Discrimination. An official FIFA slogan. Do you find it deplorable that the English have reneged on the promise made to members of the LGBTQ+ community? I understand you very well. Now, let’s not take our eyes off the real culprits of this sinister affair: the Supreme Council of Qatar and FIFA.
From the Supreme Council, I obviously don’t expect much. He is against homosexuality, period. Violators face fines and prison terms of up to three years. What is shameful and extremely disturbing is FIFA’s aplaventrism in the face of a theocratic regime which, after banning the sale of alcohol in stadiums on Friday, is once again imposing its will.
Where have all of FIFA’s great ideals of social justice gone? Remember all those great awareness campaigns for inclusion and diversity. Last June, FIFA raised the rainbow flag of the LGBTQ+ community in front of its headquarters in Switzerland. To mark Pride month, she added multicolored filters to her social media accounts. On the same occasion, she also announced the “implementation of measures to ensure that the World Cup is welcoming and inclusive”.
Stay with me, the best is coming.
“The FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be a celebration of unity and diversity,” said the federation. A gathering of people from all walks of life, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, orientation and sexual characteristics. »
On the condition that you are not gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, if I understood correctly. What hypocrisy.
How can we now believe in the sincerity of FIFA’s awareness campaigns? No Discrimination, really ? How to avoid being cynical in the face of this organization which, for 15 years, has admired autocratic regimes and waded into corruption? It is the same organization which, I remind you, demanded investments of $300 million from our governments for the presentation of three games of the 2026 World Cup in Montreal. The Legault government has decided: it’s no. But other states in North America have agreed to FIFA’s terms.
Unlike the FIFA leaders, the Iranian players did not lack courage on Monday. No, they didn’t wear the rainbow headband. But they made an even more risky gesture: they refused to recite the words of their national anthem, to protest against the violence and repression of the ayatollahs against the Iranian people. A powerful gesture, which marked the spirits.
“We must recognize that the conditions in our country are not correct, and that our people are unhappy,” said captain Ehsan Hajsafi, a few hours before the match. “We are here, but that does not mean that we should not carry the voices [des protestataires]. »
The Iranians lost the game, but they gained respect.
FIFA is getting richer, but losing respect.