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Dec 16, 2010
A leading international gay rights group has demanded an apology from the head of the organization that sponsors the World Cup.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Dec. 13 that gay fans “should refrain from any sexual activities” during the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where homosexual behavior is illegal. Blatter contends that he was joking.
Juris Lavrikovs, communications director for the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, said the situation in Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries “is not a joke” and that Blatter’s comments were “very unfortunate and have left people deeply offended.”
“This is a matter of life and death to people,” Lavrikovs said. “Qatar and more than 70 other countries in the world still criminalize individuals for homosexual relationships, and some countries even punish them by death. … It’s disappointing to see that an organization that is promoting the game, which in its statutes condemns discrimination of any kind, is coming out with comments like this.”
The incident erupted when Blatter was asked by reporters if he could foresee any cultural problems with the tournament being held in Qatar.
“I’d say they (gay fans) should refrain from any sexual activities,” he said, smiling.
From WiG and AP reports
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