Brody's Scribbles... My Thoughts On The World Cup Location Choice...No Not that One

Stephen Glenn is the Northern Ireland Organiser for the 'Yes! to Fairer Votes campaign. Glenn has 22 years of campaign experience associated with the Liberal Democrats Party across the country and a national profile in the UK as a respected blogger both within the party and beyond. 

By Stephen Glenn (Bangor, Northern Ireland) DEC 2 |  Every English fan is so up in arms about 2018's FIFA World Cup being awarded to Russia that they have failed to notice something about 2022's.
It is being awarded to Qatar, a nation with a disgraceful human rights record, especially in the area of LGBT rights.
Qatar's Article 201 of its 1971 Penal Code punishes sodomy between consenting adults (irrespective of sex) with up to five years in prison. There are also incidents of these laws being enforced on non-citizens. Now there are LGBT football fans, I know I'm one of them.

• What happens if we want to visit the 2022 World Cup, are we to leave our partners behind? 
• Are we to sleep in separate beds, rooms, hotels, cities? 
• What if in celebrating a goal or victory we forget where we are and get over affectionate even for just a fleeting second in full view of a policeman? 
• What if we turn up married or civil partnered with passports that say so, wearing matching rings? 
• Would we get lifted as we arrive and carted off to prison?

Gay Football Supporters Network

Qatar is not just homophobic it is a gay criminalising state. 

If we are imprisoned I bet the cell wouldn't have the multi-million pound air conditioning that the stadia (as yet unbuilt) that will spring up in Qatar.

There is also the problem that Association Football does not currently have any 'out' professional players. There are suspicions that a number of players may be in the closet. Now would be a good time for those players to come out and stand up for the LGBT fans from around the world, but more important the LGBT community in Qatar itself. As we don't have a spokesman from within the game, it will be up to the LGBT fans and their friends to take this issue further. But I guess we may not have any players coming out, if they have a hope of playing in the 2022 World Cup, even though us gay supporters need a hero, one of 'the family'.

We should start by boycotting Qatari products:

• Qatar Airlines
• The Qatar Moto GP
• Qatar Petroleum
• Holiday in Qatar's fine hotels 
• etc.

(Feel free to provide more in the comments)

Personally I'd not feel safe travelling to Qatar, especially if I was doing so with a partner, I'm just too affectionate. I don't even think I should even contemplate watching the games on television. So I guess I'll not even be watching the 2022 World Cup, even on TV, thanks to decision of FIFA today. 

Wonder what I'll end up doing instead?