[ad_1]
A stadium invader carrying a rainbow flag ran onto the pitch during Monday’s World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay.
Protesters wore blue Superman T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Save Ukraine” and “Respect Iranian Women.”
He was overtaken by security officials and taken through the tunnel, the rainbow flag falling to the ground.
The referee then proceeded to pick up the flag left on the touchline, and a worker came over and collected it.
It was unclear whether he was in police custody or faced any changes after being escorted off at Lusail Stadium during the second half of the game.
Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who scored twice in his side’s 2-0 win, said he was too engrossed in the game to really notice the protesters’ intentions.He thought he might want to take a picture with the star players Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Honestly, I don’t really understand what the message was trying to convey,” Fernandez said through a translator.
“But we’ve spoken about this many times … we respect all human rights, but unfortunately these are political issues and we don’t really have much power and we can’t really change anything.”
Ahead of the World Cup, Fernandes said football should be “for everyone” – adding he was not happy about the deaths of workers building stadiums in Qatar.
Qatar’s laws against homosexuality and the treatment of LGBTQ individuals have come under scrutiny ahead of the Middle East’s first World Cup.
During the first week of competition, seven European teams lost the battle to wear the multi-colored “One Love” armbands in World Cup matches.
Fans are also not allowed to bring rainbow-colored items symbolizing LGBTQ rights into stadiums in the conservative Islamic emirate.
Qatar says everyone is welcome, including LGBTQ fans, but visitors should respect the country’s culture.
[ad_2]
Source link