Another huge political issue that has risen from the World Cup this winter has been the LGBTQ+ issues. A lot of the captains armbands in professional soccer leagues across Europe have the rainbow flag on it in support of gay rights. Qatar, before the World Cup started, listed a lot of rules including banning the rainbow armbands. A lot of powerful people including US Secretary of State Antony Bliken have been giving pushback against this because of how powerful being on a global stage such as the World Cup can have for the LGBTQ+ community. Having just a subtle armband that demonstrates support form all the best soccer players from each country would bring attention to LGBTQ+ community and help bring attention and support in different countries where they might not be accepted. A CNN article touched on this as not only did Mr. Bliken spoke out against the policies set in place by Qatar but he did it next to Qatari officials. The controversy that has been created by Qatar hosting the World Cup has brought to light the importance of athletes being able to express their own opinions in the national spotlight. This World Cup has been a perfect example of shining a light on how lucky people are to be able to live in countries where their rights are not suppressed.
Reading Link: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/world/world-cup-politics-modern-world-analysis/index.html