'Change your shirt': Journalist denied entry to Qatar 2022 match for wearing rainbow shirt

An American journalist named Grant Wahl was denied entry into the Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar ahead of the USA vs Wales, Group B match on Sunday for wearing a rainbow-coloured football t-shirt. While Wahl tried to enter the stadium to watch USA’s game at the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar, security guards at the stadium denied him entry, and he was also detained for 25 minutes. Wahl revealed on social media that he wore the t-shirt in support of the LGBTQ community, amid the ongoing heated debate about human rights in Qatar. 

The journalist was asked to change his t-shirt, as the security guards claimed it is not allowed. It is pertinent to mention that same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar, but FIFA had claimed that the rainbow flag would be allowed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. While the Qatari authorities said very little about the topic, the treatment of the people belonging to the LGBTQ community is one of the raging concerns at the World Cup.

'Security guard told me that my shirt was political'

Meanwhile, Wahl also revealed that security also snatched his phone from his hands. "Nearly half an hour passed. One security guard told me that my shirt was 'political' and not allowed. Another continually refused to give me back my phone. Another guard yelled at me as he stood above me - I was sitting on a chair by now - that I had to remove my shirt," Wahl wrote while explaining the happenings. 

“My friend Andrew Das, a reporter for the New York Times, walked past, and I informed him what was going on. They detained him too. Eventually, the guards made me stand up, turn around and face the CCTV camera above us. ‘Are you from the UK?’ one guard asked. ‘New York,’ I said. This was getting annoying. I arrived when I did so I’d have enough time to watch the Netherlands-Senegal game, and now I was missing it,” the journalist added.

Controversies surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar

Explaining what happened next, Grant said he was approached by a security commander who said they wanted him to protect from fans inside the stadium who could harm him for wearing the t-shirt. While a FIFA representative and the security commander apologized to him later, the episode left him wondering how Qatari nationals deal with it. Qatar’s stance on human rights, labour laws, treatment of the LGBTQ community, and other humanitarian issues are few of the major controversies surrounding the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.