Australian footballer Josh Cavallo would be welcome at next year’s World Cup, the chief executive of the tournament in Qatar informed. He said it is happening despite the country’s laws against homosexuality.
The Adelaide United player, who became the world’s only current openly gay top-flight professional footballer. When he came out last month told that he would be “scared” to play in the Gulf state.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. It is also punishable by a penalties ranging from flogging to imprisonment and execution. But tournament organizer Nasser Al Khater assured gay fans they could feel safe there. It is as long as they act conservatively. Al Khater said,
“We welcome him [Cavallo] here in the state of Qatar, we welcome him to come and see, even prior to the World Cup. Nobody feels threatened here, nobody feels unsafe here. I think, unfortunately, maybe he’s getting this perception because of reading a lot of these accusations or reading a lot of these news stories that shine a negative light. Qatar is like any other society in this world. Everyone is welcome.”
However, homosexuality is potentially punishable by the death penalty for Muslims in the country under sharia law. Although human rights reports have said there is no evidence any gay people have been executed for the offence. Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not recognized by the Qatari government. The campaigning for LGBTQI+ rights in the country is outlawed.
Al Khater accepted the World Cup could be used as a platform for protests to be made against Qatar but said that was not a concern for organizers.
