Captain of the French National Soccer team Hugo Lloris is on the fence about showing his support for the LGBTQ+ community during the World Cup in Qatar.
The small country has drawn ire worldwide with its harsh policies toward alcohol, women’s rights, and same-sex unions. While ten countries’ captains and counting have agreed to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, the thirty-five-year-old keeper would expect visitors of his land to respect France’s laws if visiting.
Ever since the then-current Fifa President Sepp Blatter announced Qatar as the 2o22 host nation, the Connecticut-sized-country has been inundated with accusations of human rights violations against their migrant workers–of which make up almost 90% of the population of Qatar–to the not-so-secret rampant corruption of FIFA.
While Loris sounds polite, he may be forgetting that as recently as September, gay and lesbian individuals were targeted for arrest and mistreatment in detention centers based solely on their sexual orientation, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
🎙️ Hugo LLoris, on the LGBTQ+ captain armband: "I have my personal opinion. When we welcome strangers in France, we often want them to comply with our rules and requirements. I will do the same in Qatar. I have to show respect for that." 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/2BVmB2Etqp
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 14, 2022
Some fans were quick to point out the obvious to Hugo:
LGBTQ rights is human rights and is not negotiable. Each and every country should respect this.
— Masoud Hashemi (@TheycallmeM_H) November 15, 2022
While others came to the captain’s defense:
This same Lloris is the one that you are calling a coward? Everyone do not have to join the queue of controversy, sometimes people choose the path of common sense and respect. You should know that tolerance is a two way street. pic.twitter.com/Hi07ixx2mv
— James Ògieva (@jamosa_21) November 15, 2022
Set to play Australia on Tuesday, it remains to be seen if Lloris will show his support while suiting up for France.
