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People being outraged that teams were prevented from wearing the OneLove armbands (to show solidarity with LBGTQ rights amid the backdrop of Qatari views on homosexuality) are ignorant, arrogant, and dogmatic. This is part of what other regions of the world mean when they say the west forces our values onto other people. You don't get to go into another region of the world for a sport as global as soccer and then shit on them for not sharing the same views as you. Not everything needs to be about activism. I don't have the stats, but I have to imagine most people are not in favor of gay marriage in the middle east and, as much as i am in favor of gay marriage, you have to respect that. I mean it wasn't even codified legally in the US until fairly recently. If you want to interact with other countries, you have to accept that they see things differently than you and have different values. This strikes me as being a strong instance of 'i am so open minded that i am close minded'.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-21/european-teams-won-t-wear-pro-lgbt-armbands-at-world-cup?cmpid=BBD112122_MKT
I disagree. If you invite the whole world to your country by voluntarily hosting the World Cup, you should expect the world to show up. If you do not want people in your country who do not conform to the rigid social taboos of your culture, you shouldn't host the World Cup.
Wearing an armband is not shitting on anyone's culture or forcing anything on anyone. Being annoyed when your invited guests wear innocuous armbands that are perfectly fine in their culture is rude.
Let's not be coy and pretend those armbands are "innocuous". They clearly were meant as a political statement and a huge "fuck you" to the conservative culture of Qatar. Now, I don't really value too much the culture of Qatar, so for me saying "fuck you" to them is all in good fun, but let's not pretend it's not what happened - or what was about to happen, until it turned out the power is not on the side of the activists and they got squashed like bugs.
Simple solution: If you are so quick to offense that you cannot tolerate armbands with rainbows, you shouldn't host the World Cup.
why?, it's in their code of ethics the banning of political stunts and respecting the dignity of host countries. Hosting the worldcup isn't to opening the doors to political activism, it's about foot ball.
1.
In dealings with government institutions, national and international
organisations, associations and groupings, persons bound by this Code shall,
in addition to observing the basic rules of art. 13, remain politically neutral, in
accordance with the principles and objectives of FIFA, the confederations,
associations, leagues and clubs, and generally act in a manner compatible with
their function and integrity
1.
Persons bound by this Code shall not offend the dignity or integrity of
a country, private person or group of people through contemptuous,
discriminatory or denigratory words or actions on account of race, skin colour,
ethnicity, nationality, social origin, gender, disability, language, religion,
political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual
orientation or any other reason.
I can see the argument for why clause 14 is applicable. (But precedent would be nice. Where is the line drawn for what is and isn't a political statement?) Per this clause the players should stop wearing armbands. (The Qatari behavior towards the rainbow-clothed fans is still rude.)
Clause 22 is clearly unrelated: rainbow armbands are not contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory, nor do they offend the dignity or integrity of anyone.
Showing with those armbands in a country clearly opposed to what they represent is showing contempt for the customs and culture of the host nation, specially when to do that you have to violate art 14 too.
I would assume that anything controversial would fall under this umbrella.
Yeah, it would be nice if sports was just about sports, and not just another stage for the activists to pull their stunts.
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