LGBTQ rainbow flags ‘may be taken off World Cup fans in Qatar for their own safety’

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said this week in Doha that 'everyone will see that everyone is welcome here in Qatar, even if we speak about LGBTQ'

Fifa chief social responsibility and education officer Joyce Cook told the AP in 2020 that “rainbow flags, T-shirts will all be welcome in the stadium — that’s a given. They understand very well that is our stance”. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA

Rainbow flags could be taken off fans at the World Cup in Qatar to protect them from being attacked, a senior leader overseeing security for the tournament has said.

Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari insisted that LGBTQ couples would be welcomed and accepted in Qatar for the Fifa showpiece event from November 21 to December 18, despite same-sex relations remaining criminalised in the conservative Gulf nation.