Blinken speaking in Doha on Tuesday alongside Qatar's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Antony Blinken fancies himself as a bit of a footballer.
But the US secretary of state avoided any fancy diplomatic footwork on Tuesday, forthrightly condemning FIFA’s shutting down of a plan by European team captains to wear LGBT+ OneLove armbands at World Cup matches.
"One of the most powerful things about football, about soccer, is potential to bring the world together," Blinken said in the Qatari capital, Doha. "It's always concerning from my perspective when we see any restrictions on freedom of expression. It's especially so when the expression is for diversity and for inclusion. And in my judgment, at least, no one on the football pitch should be forced to choose between supporting these values and playing for their team.”
The top US diplomat’s remarks were especially notable since he delivered them alongside top officials from World Cup host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is banned. The furor revived a debate over whether football, a sport that says it is inclusive, compromised core human rights by taking its top tournament there. As the former goalie for the World Cup-winning US women’s national team, Briana Scurry, told CNN Tuesday: “You choose the country, you chose the consequences.”
The “OneLove” controversy erupted after England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Wales said that their captains had been warned that wearing the armband could lead to on-field punishments. If for instance a player got a yellow card, they’d risk being sent off if they picked up another yellow for a foul in a game, and an eventual suspension.
“The aim of the armband was that the team wanted to make a statement. FIFA put a stop to that and threatened penalties,” Hansi Flick, the coach of the German team said. “It's a shame that you can't stand up for human rights anymore.” World Cup organizers have also faced criticism over the deaths of migrant workers during construction of air conditioned stadiums in the desert and over the oil-rich nation’s attitude toward women.
Now that the goals are flying in, FIFA will hope the controversies will be on the pitch and not off it. And Argentina’s shocking loss to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday could help change the headlines for sure
I am totally convinced that the gay agenda is a cynical attempt by Caucasians to whitewash white-on-black racism.
Now, we are all focused on issues of Gaylord inserting his mucuthi into @Cazorla s butt instead of talking about British atrocities in Kenya or Malaya, or police violence on black men in the US.
