The United States team will be making a big statement at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar by redesigning their badge to include the rainbow flag, in a bid to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.
There have been many controversies during the build-up to the tournament, which is due to kick off on Sunday when hosts Qatar take on Ecuador.
Many have criticised FIFA’s decision to award the World Cup to Qatar given the country’s human rights record and attitude towards homosexuality.
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Earlier this month, one of Qatar’s World Cup ambassadors, Khalid Salman was slammed for his comments regarding homosexuality. Whilst speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Salman said: “They have to accept our rules here. [Homosexuality] is haram. Do you know what haram means?
“I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind.”
Now, in order to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, the United States men’s national team have decided to make a statement by replacing the usual red stripes on their crest with rainbow colours.
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The team trained at the Al Gharrafa SC Stadium in Ar-Rayyan on Monday. A picture from the training session showed a huge US crest on the wall, alongside a slogan that read: “One Nation”.
Over the past few months, many players have spoken out about the rights of fans who are planning to travel to the Middle East for the tournament, especially people within the LGBTQ+ community. Qatar have also been under intense scrutiny over their treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws.
The US will kick off their campaign against Wales next Monday, before facing England and Iran. Gregg Berhalter’s side will be hoping they have enough to make it through to the knockout stages.
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Ahead of the match against Wales, Berhalter spoke about the quality of the Welsh squad, he said: “I think at least to the American media, Wales is underrated. When I look at their squad, it's basically a Premier League squad. You have Daniel James, who scored the other night against Man United, a high-quality player.
“You have Harry Wilson, a high-quality player. Kieffer Moore, Neco Williams, Brennan Johnson, Gareth Bale, Ben Davies. To me, it's a really good squad, a formidable squad. They've been in international competition before, they know what it's like.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football World Cup, Qatar, United States
