England footballer Beth Mead won’t support the World Cup in Qatar

The English footballer, Beth Mead, has said she won’t be “backing or promoting” the FIFA World Cup as it takes place in Qatar.

The Middle-East country’s hosting of the international tournament has been met with strong backlash over the country’s LGBTQ and human rights record.

In Qatar homosexuality is illegal and punishable with up to three years in prison or death under Sharia law.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Friday (4 November) Beth said she could not back the competition taking place there as the country’s views on homosexuality are “the complete opposite to what I believe and respect.”

Continuing she said, “It’s not something I will be backing or promoting. It’s disappointing in the sense that there’s no respect on a lot of levels, even though it’s a game of football.”

Beth Mead also said, “Although I’m cheering for the boys who are going to play football there, from the minute it was announced I thought it wasn’t the best idea.”

In October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported there had been “six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody,” against LGBTQ people in Qatar.

One trans woman said they had been detained underground for two months and had been beaten every day. All six people HRW spoke to were detained without charge.

Qatar denounced the allegations as “categorically and unequivocally false.”

The reports are a realisation of fears many have had ever since it was announced that the World Cup would be taking place in Qatar.

Authorities in the country have tried to assure LGBTQ fans that they would be welcome if they came for the tournament.

These have been undermined by mixed messaging regarding rainbow flags at the event. Initially, people were told they would be able to wave rainbow flags before a senior Qatari security official said flags may be confiscated “to protect them [fans] from being attacked for promoting gay rights”. 

Earlier this year, 16 LGBTQ organisations signed an open letter warning that the measures to protect the LGBTQ community for the World Cup in Qatar aren’t adequate.

At the end of October, the LGBTQ rights activist, Peter Tatchell, was briefly arrested for conducting the first-ever public LGBTQ rights protest in any of the Gulf states. He was released after less than an hour.

His experience serves to highlight the danger LGBTQ people face and the swiftness in which authorities are not afraid to act.

Footballer David Beckham has faced criticism for supporting Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup after signing a deal to promote Qatari culture and tourism.

Numerous people have called on him to reconsider and step back from the deal, including recent Attitude Man of the Year, who called on the former England player to “speak out” and support the LGBTQ community.

The World Cup takes place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022.