Fan ejected from stadium ahead of USA vs Iran for proudly showing off rainbow armband

A supporter has been ejected from the Al Thumama Stadium ahead of USA’s final World Cup group clash against Iran for wearing a rainbow armband.

The supporter of the USA was in the stands and was photographed proudly showing off an armband in the colours of the rainbow flag, symbolic of the LGBTQ+ community – who face persecution in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are currently outlawed.

There have been numerous instances of rainbow-themed objects being confiscated throughout the tournament, where fans sporting the emblem have even been denied entry to World Cup stadiums. These include hats, armbands, flags and watch straps – as a BBC cameraman found out.

Germany, England and Wales were among the nations which opted against wearing a OneLove rainbow-themed armband in Qatar due to the threat that their respective captains could receive yellow cards for doing so. The late decisions from the respective FAs have been heavily criticised.

The German FA is planning legal action against FIFA due to their stance while the German national team’s actions before kick-off against Japan grabbed the headlines in their opening group game last week. The team posed for a photo in which all 11 players covered their mouths in protest prior to their shock loss to Japan.

The initiative was a move by those respective nations to show their continued support for the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness about the discrimination people face in Qatar. The rainbow-coloured armband is part of an anti-discrimination initiative; same-sex relationships are currently outlawed in Qatar, with homosexuality even punishable by death under laws in the country.

England boss Gareth Southgate said of the armband issue on Thursday last week: “I noticed the Danish coach speaking after the game and he felt he hadn’t got enough bandwidth to deal with the football. I think that’s the risk that we’re all running. I’m quite comfortable with our position and I think we should be confident in what we stand for.

“What we think we can affect. We run the risk now… there was a plan [before Iran], we weren’t able to carry out that plan. What do we do now? Do we all try to out-do each other on a gesture that might actually be… however we do it, probably won’t be enough.

“We want to support the LGBTQ community in particular and recognise that a lot of those people aren’t here with us, and we wanted them here with us. But we could also rush into doing things that don’t land well and don’t really make any difference.”