Hugo Lloris, the goalkeeper and captain of the French national football team, will not wear the LGBTQ+ armband during the World Cup in Qatar, telling the press that people traveling to Qatar must respect that country’s culture just as the French expect foreigners in France to respect French culture.
“When we welcome foreigners in France, we want them to abide by our rules and our culture. And I will do the same in Qatar,” he told the assembled press on the eve of the tournament, as the Palnws.be news outlet reported.
Qatar is a country run by Sharia law, where homosexuality is currently prohibited by law, which is why the French national goalkeeper no longer wants to wear the armband. First of all, he says that such a gesture requires an agreement with FIFA and the French national football association. Lloris was referring to Denmark, which had wanted to wear a shirt that said “human rights for all,” but FIFA rejected their request.
The captain of France’s football team said he could “agree or disagree” with Qatar’s ideas, but he at least wants to “show respect” for the World Cup host nation. Nevertheless, Lloris told journalists that “something should be done” regarding the sensitive issue of human rights in Qatar, but lamented that society sometimes expects too much from players on such a topic.
In contrast, the United States football team has adopted a rainbow-colored logo to promote during the World Cup. Football has been the center of a variety of political controversies in recent years, including over Western teams kneeling in support of Black Lives Matter, a position rejected by teams from Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Czechia, all of which refused to take the knee during football matches.
