Fans will be able to carry rainbow flags when Egypt and Iran face each other in the Seattle Pride World Cup Game, FIFA said on Thursday (25), echoing comments from local organizers that the symbol represents human rights, despite protests from the two participating countries.
The match, at midnight on Friday (Brasília time) for Group G, during the LGBTQIA+ Pride weekend, was named the Pride Game by the Seattle local organizing committee before the December draw selected the two Muslim-majority countries where homosexuality is criminalized.
Egypt and Iran protested after the draw, with the Egyptian Football Federation stating that such events conflict with their cultural and religious values.
On Wednesday (24), The Athletic quoted the Iranian Football Federation as saying: “No ceremonies or promotional activities associated with this movement should be present inside the stadium.” A spokesperson for the federation did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
FIFA, however, stated that the World Cup is “an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds” and that rainbow flags are permitted in the stadium.
“General human rights demonstrations, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted… and may be displayed inside stadiums,” FIFA said in a statement on Thursday.
The organization emphasized that the Pride celebrations are organized by the local Seattle World Cup committee and not the global football body.
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle and, on the same day, events organized by external organizations will take place in the city,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche in January. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
‘It’s a flag of human rights’
Patti Hearn, executive director of Seattle Pride, praised FIFA’s stance, telling Reuters that “it’s a human rights flag and that’s why it’s allowed in the stadium.”
“The rainbow flag or any of the Pride flags are just a symbol of inclusion, of community, of love — and that’s really not offensive,” she said.
She noted that Pride celebrations have not been embraced by Egypt and Iran, but added: “There are queer people everywhere and I think if we can provide the opportunity for the world stage to see and experience what it’s like to be in a place that’s welcoming and inclusive…I think that’s great.”
Bookda Gheisar, director of DEI at the Port of Seattle, who described herself as an Iranian-American lesbian, echoed Hearn’s comments.
Gheisar said there was a contradiction in Egypt and Iran being involved in the game during Pride weekend, but that “the challenge of that contradiction has been a struggle of my own personal life for 40 years.”
“I’m certainly not alone in this,” she added.
Seattle organizers see the spotlight as a platform to promote acceptance.
“The Pride celebration has been happening this weekend for over 50 years,” Hedda McLendon of the Seattle World Cup local organizing committee told Reuters earlier this week.
“It will happen this weekend, long after the World Cup.”
