The World Cup in Qatar has become a political lightning rod, so it comes as no surprise that soccer fans' sartorial style has sparked controversy.
Forget your classic soccer jerseys - the streets of Doha have been transformed into a chaotic runway show in terms of fashion.
If photographed at a Halloween party back home in Cape Town, South Africa, 60-year-old Gavin Coetzee admits his wardrobe choice might seem ill-conceived — even cringe-worthy. He asked a tailor to stitch together four African flags into a ghutra and stereotypical Arabian thobe, the long flowing tunic that Qatari men wear in crisp white.
“I wanted to immerse in the culture. It's fun to get to try new things,” said 41-year-old Ricardo Palacios from Venezuela, wearing a red-and-white checkered headdress. “Locals are in shock ... that someone wearing a Spanish shirt is wearing this." Among non-Muslim visitors, even the hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf showing piety to Allah, has emerged as trendy World Cup wear. Online videos show foreign women on the streets of Doha donning colorful headscarves, exclaiming how secure and cute they feel.
But the biggest flashpoint at the tournament so far has been rainbow clothing and other multicolored accessories as Qatar's criminalization of homosexuality triggered a storm of criticism. After FIFA threatened European teams wearing “One Love” armbands with in-game discipline, some fans have taken it upon themselves to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sport Minister St-Onge refused to go to Qatar for FIFA World Cup to show solidarity with LGBTQ community and migrant workers, say Liberal sourcesSport Minister Pascale St-Onge, who made Canadian history as the first out lesbian cabinet minister when she was appointed in 2021, declined to go to Qatar recently for the FIFA World Cup as a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ community and because of allegations of human rights abuses against migrant workers in the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “I am proud of the Canada National soccer team qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Their qualification is a historic event,” said St-Onge (Brome-Missisquoi, Que.) in a written statement to The Hill Times. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.) went in her place. “Our government was very concerned about reports of dangerous working conditions in building the World Cup stadium and infrastructure, especially those resulting in death. I am happy that my colleague, Minister Sajjan, while in Qatar had a constructive dialogue with their government on supporting LGBTQ and human rights. I commend the fact that he also acknowledges ILO’s [International Labour Organization] work to improve migrant workers’ conditions after the World Cup,” St-Onge said in her statement. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. The Canadian Soccer team qualified to play in the World Cup for the first time since 1986. To represent the Canadian government at the World Cup, the sport minister was the natural choice, but St-Onge informed the PMO weeks in advance that she would not go. Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Qatar, and organizations like Human Rights Watch say LGBTQ people are being arbitrarily arrested in that country. That organization says it has documented “six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022.” “Security forces arrested people in public places based solely on their gender expression and unlawfully searched their phones,” a Human Rights Watch report alleges. “As a requ
Read more »
From attendance to transit, the Qatar World Cup by the numbersThe Qatar 2022 World Cup by the numbers, through the opening group stage of play.
Read more »
World Cup stadium 974 to be dismantled after tournamentOf the seven stadiums Qatar built for the World Cup, one will disappear after the tournament.
Read more »
Seven Toronto soccer fans are soon off to see the last FIFA World Cup game live in QatarThese seven Toronto soccer fans are headed to Qatar to watch the final three World Cup matches. After one fan got tickets through his job as a lawyer for McDonald’s, he quickly gathered others up for the adventure.
Read more »
WORLD CUP NOTES: France's Kylian Mbappe scores two in win over PolandMbappe, 23, scored two goals for France in a 3\u002D1 win against Poland here at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday
Read more »