FIFA “will not stop fans from bringing rainbow flags” into Seattle Stadium for Saturday’s Iran-Egypt World Cup “Pride Match” that coincides with Seattle’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, according to James Ducker of the London TELEGRAPH. Iran and Egypt are “understood to want a crackdown on any outward expressions of Pride in the stadium, including the waving of rainbow flags.” Both countries lobbied FIFA “demanding they have no association with Seattle’s PrideFest.” Organizers said that the festivities “regularly attracts more than 200,000 participants.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj “condemned the situation.” In Iran, “same-sex couples can face the death penalty.” Human Rights Watch said that in Egypt, “people from LGBTQ+ communities face persecution.” The Egyptian Football Association in a statement said that it had written to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.” The Pride celebrations are “organised by the city of Seattle and do not have anything to do with FIFA as such” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/24).
PRE-PLANNED: THE ATHLETIC’s Adam Crafton reported the branding by Seattle organizers of the “Pride Match” was “decided in advance of the World Cup draw being made in December.” FIFA’s central headquarters “did not have a role in the Pride initiative, which was conceived by the Seattle host committee,” and it is “not clear what has actually been planned within the stadium itself for matchday.” The local host committees “do not have the power or scope to impose initiatives inside tournament venues,” as all World Cup programming is led by FIFA. Sources said that the main programming planned by SeattleFWC26 is “intended to be outside of the stadium perimeter, which is not under FIFA’s jurisdiction.” As of Wednesday evening, SeattleFWC26 “did not set out any in-stadium activation,” but local soccer fans in the city “may wish to bring rainbow flags in on the occasion of Pride weekend.” Sources said that there were some attempts in the lead-up to the World Cup by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran and the Egyptian Football Association “to ensure that all Pride-related branding around the game and across FIFA-related touch points across the city be removed altogether -- an ask which FIFA did not agree to, such was the desire of the host committee and local Seattle politicians and organizers to press ahead” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/24).
