Kevin Clifton hits back at England’s decision not to wear pride armband in Qatar
HOMOSEXUALITY IS ILLEGAL IN THE COUNTRY HOSTING WORLD CUP
GRIMSBY’S Kevin Clifton has hit back at the England and Wales football teams after their decision to not wear the pride armband during the Qatar World Cup.
The former Strictly Come Dancing star made his feelings known shortly after the teams announced their decision. Many countries have decided against wearing the armband in Qatar which would normally be worn during matches to show support for the LGBTQ+ community in football and beyond. However, many have opted not to wear the armband to respect Qatar’s law that states homosexuality is illegal, with a punishment of up to three years in prison. France captain Hugo Lloris made headlines when he hinted he would not be wearing the armband to respect the country’s culture.
The decision comes after FIFA announced that they would potentially fine countries who decided to wear the armband by issuing them a yellow card. In a joint statement, the Footballing Association of six countries, including England and Wales, said: “FIFA has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. “As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games.” The news came as a shock to many, such as the Grimsby dancer.
In a social media post, Kevin reacted to the statement saying: “Imagine the power of doing it anyway and taking the booking.” His followers agreed with the thought with Charlotte Blades saying: “That would be so immense Kev. Honestly, it’s really taken the fizz out of the World Cup. This could have been a world stage show of solidarity.”
Others, like Katie Kay added: “Absolutely, if they weren’t prepared to take any consequences perhaps they would have been better not to say anything in the first place.” The news was spoken about in the build up to England’s first game by former footballer Gary Lineker.