Calls for World Cup boycott after "awful" homophobic slur
<p>A Qatari World Cup ambassador has come under fire for an "awful" homophobic comment, causing several countries to call for a boycott of the event. </p>
<p>In an interview on German TV, former footballer and ambassador Khalid Salman called homosexuality a “damage in the mind”, sparking criticism in Europe just 12 days before the tournament kicks off.</p>
<p>Salman said Qatar will accept gay visitors but “they have to accept our rules”, before saying homosexuality was “haram” - forbidden in Islam - during the interview, which was abruptly broken off after his comments.</p>
<p>In the lead up to the World Cup, Qatar has come under fire for their human rights record, including its treatment of foreign workers and its stance on women’s and LGBTQ rights.</p>
<p>German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Tuesday called Salman’s comments “awful”.</p>
<p>“That is also the reason why we are working to hopefully improve things in Qatar in the future,” said Faeser, who is also Germany’s minister for sport.</p>
<p>Faeser said last week on a visit to Qatar that she will attend the World Cup after being given a “guarantee of safety” for LGBTQ fans by Qatar’s prime minister.</p>
<p>The comments have prompted several sporting captains from European countries, including England, France and Germany, to call for a boycott of the event.</p>
<p>To show their support for their LGBTQ fans, they will wear armbands in rainbow colours with the message “One Love” during the tournament in an anti-discrimination campaign.</p>
<p>“No matter your race, your religion, your social and sexual orientation, you are most welcome, and Qataris are ready to receive you with the best hospitality that you can imagine,” FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said last week.</p>
<p>But Wenzel Michalski, the head of Human Rights Watch in Germany, warned there was “a big risk” that open displays of homosexuality in Qatar “will be punished – no matter what assurances there are”.</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>
