The United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) redesigned its shield with gay pride rainbow stripes ahead of the World Cup in Qatar in an effort to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
Qatar criminalizes same-sex sexual activity between men and between women. Punishment can be as severe as the death penalty by stoning.
Daily Mail reported:
The tournament, which starts on Sunday and sees the US play their opener against Wales on Monday, has been hugely controversial in its build-up, given Qatar’s human rights record and attitude to homosexuality.
As recently as this month, a Qatar World Cup ambassador told a German TV broadcaster that homosexuality was ‘damage to the mind’, and it remains illegal to be gay in the conservative Muslim country.
The USMNT appear to have made an immediate stand on their arrival in Doha, though, by changing the usual red stripes on their crest to a rainbow.
The US national team arrived at their Doha base at the end of last week, with some players joining at the weekend following their final club matches.
Among the later arrivals was Christian Pulisic, who featured for Chelsea away at Newcastle on Saturday evening, before heading out to the tournament.
Gregg Berhalter’s side face Wales in their opening Group B match, before huge clashes against England and then Iran as they bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
