The 2022 FIFA World Cup is about to get underway and this year’s edition of soccer’s biggest tournament comes with a lot of controversies as well as decisions that every participating country must make. Given the country’s overwhelming number of human rights concerns and discriminatory practices, visiting nations are calculating how to respect the host while also sending the message that they don’t condone what Qatar represents.
For the United States, that means their messaging is a large part of the experience this year. And the country is sending a pretty clear signal in defense of LGBTQ+ rights with a rainbow-themed logo at its training facility in Qatar.
US use rainbow logo at Qatar World Cup in support of LGBTQ community https://t.co/BWez7vlUYR
— Michael Learmonth (@learmonth) November 14, 2022
According to The Guardian, the logo design features seven rainbow-colored vertical stripes below “USA” in dark blue letters. It’s part of a larger “Be The Change” initiative that USMNT began in 2020 with the hope of inspiring social justice.
Same-sex relationships are banned in Qatar and the country has been criticized heavily for its policies around LGBTQ+ rights.
“When we are on the world stage and when we are in a venue like Qatar, it is important to bring awareness to these issues and that is what ‘Be the Change’ is about,” US coach Gregg Berhalter said Monday. “It is not just Stateside that we want to bring attention to social issues, it is also abroad. We recognize that Qatar has made strides and there has been a ton of progress but there’s some work still to do.”
The rainbow logo will not be worn by the team during the World Cup but they have tried to display it as much as possible while also walking a delicate line with the host nation. U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe told Reuters the logo will be displayed at “the team hotel, media areas, and parties,” which are managed by the USMNT.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway Sunday morning when Qatar takes on Ecuador.
[The Guardian, Image via Outsports/Reuters]
