For a football fan, the World Cup should always be one of the most exciting events that occurs every four years. There is nothing that quite compares to the excitement that precedes a tournament that honors the absolute pinnacle of what our sport has to offer, followed by a festival of football that lasts for four weeks.

But in the case of the 2022 World Cup, the festival is marred. Even though this event is billed as a celebration of football, not everyone is permitted to attend. Many fans are staying at home because they would feel unsafe to travel to Qatar to support their country - including a number of fans here in Manchester. Some people are even trying to settle the extremely challenging question of whether or not they should watch the tournament at all.

Since the moment that FIFA announced that the 2022 World Cup would be held in Qatar, controversy has followed the organization due to allegations of corruption in the bidding process, Qatar's treatment of migrant workers, and in particular Qatar's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

However, last week Qatar's tournament ambassador Khalid Salman called homosexuality "damage in the mind," and fans have also been told not to show public affection if they plan on attending the tournament. FIFA and the competition organizers have insisted that all fans will be welcome at the event, but Qatar's ambassador to the competition made these comments. Countries were asked to stick to the football and not discuss issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino saying on Saturday that European countries shouldn't give lessons in morality to Qatar on issues related to human rights and LGBTQ+ issues because of 'what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world.' Specifically, Infantino said that European countries shouldn't give lessons in morality to Qatar because of 'what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world.'

In spite of this, members of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar face prison sentences for their participation in homosexual activity, whereas Muslim men who engage in same-sex activity risk the possibility of the death penalty. The country has also been criticized regarding the rights that they provide for women. When everything is taken into account, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that there aren't many LGBTQ+ football fans making the trip to Qatar. Many of them are torn between watching the tournament from home and skipping it entirely.

According to Lindsey Parr, a member of the Rainbow Devils, which is the LGBTQ+ Supporters Group of Manchester United, "it's like a shadow over the whole World Cup that part of my identity means that I don't feel included," and this sentiment casts a pall over the entire tournament.

"When I watch it, it makes me feel as though I have to make a choice between my identity and the things I'm attempting to do to advance the game in terms of equality. To watch it and take part in it feels like I'm wrestling with those things and I shouldn't have to. It is challenging to have the feeling that you are unable to participate in something.

When the World Cup rolls around, there is typically a lot of excitement, but I don't feel like I can get excited about this one. Everything that we have accomplished in terms of equality and making it a game for all people is sending the message that football is not a game for all people. That is something that I find to be very challenging.

Rainbow Devils and the Canal Street Blues, both of which are fans of Manchester City, are doing fantastic work in Manchester for hundreds, if not thousands, of fans. Football is slowly making steps toward becoming an environment that is more welcoming to LGBTQ+ fans. Earlier in 2022, Blackpool's Jake Daniels came out as gay, following in the footsteps of Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, who came out as gay the previous year. Although there are openly gay players on the England Women's team that triumphed at the European Championships this summer, there is still a lot of work to be done in England and beyond.

Carl Nunnerley, another member of the Rainbow Devils, says that FIFA told them they could go as long as they didn't act like themselves. "What we've been doing over the past few years, and what all of the other supporter groups have been doing as well, is to be ourselves at a football ground. For the better part of forty years and some odd years, I've been a supporter of United. When I was 17 and 18 years old, I came out as gay, and after that, playing football became awkward for me. Because I couldn't be who I was, I was subjected to verbal and physical abuse.

The Rainbow Devils are an enthusiastic fan club that has approximately 400 members and follows Manchester United both at their home stadium and on the road. (Photo courtesy of Carl Nunnerley and Rainbow Devils)
"I quit football because I despised it. After I finished my playing career, I avoided getting involved in the sport." And I missed it so much - so when the Rainbow Devils started, it gave me the confidence to go to football and be who I was, even though it had been some 30 years since I had played. I was able to go, have fun, and just be myself without having to worry about what other people might think or do. To go over there and not be yourself is really contradictory in all aspects. It's really important, and it's really contradictory.

Both Lindsey and Carl believe that education and openly discussing the issues at hand are better ways to make a change in the world, despite the fact that some people believe they are unable to watch the World Cup this year because of Qatar's anti-LGBT laws.

The following is what Carl has to say: "If people say, 'how come you're watching with all the issues?' I would say that the problems are ongoing, that we need to discuss them, and that doing so will hopefully make them a better country going forward and a bit more open to the idea that everyone should be free to be who they are.

"We want to support our LGBT+ community, which loves football and being a part of football, but with where it is in Qatar and the rules they have, it does cause problems," we said in our statement. I was having a conversation with one of our other Rainbow Devils, who is a family man with two children. He explained that he wanted to encourage his two sons to watch it while also teaching them something new at the same time. The key is to strike the appropriate balance.

"There's a lot wrong with it, but people say they won't watch the World Cup because of the LGBT issues and worker's rights, and there are a lot of problems with it. But you also need to make the effort to educate people while all of this is taking place. I don't know anyone in an LGBT supporters group who is going over there because they're so worried and scared of what might happen to them. It's a really difficult situation. If something were to happen while you were over there, you could go to jail for it.

When FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested that European nations shouldn't try to teach Qatar a lesson in morality, he sparked a firestorm of criticism. (Photograph by Getty Images) )
"But seriously, can you fathom being gay and Muslim at the same time? It is equivalent to the death penalty. It's really challenging because our support group includes a significant number of individuals who identify as both Muslim and gay.

Lindsey, who works for Diversity Role Models, which educates schoolchildren against prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community, agrees and hopes that the global reaction can ensure that no global event is ever again awarded to a country with laws such as Qatar's again. Diversity Role Models educates schoolchildren against prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community.

"It has come into the spotlight, but it's almost too late," she explains. There have been some wonderful conversations, and the fact that they are having conversations is a positive sign; however, the idea that we should now concentrate on the football should be emphasized. It's not simple for someone like me to do something like that. I have to ask myself, "Should I be watching the World Cup, or should I be saying that LGBTQ+ rights don't matter?" because I am currently faced with a moral conundrum.

"I would hope that a country that does not view all people as equal and that does not provide equal rights for all people would not be given a stage on the international level. Football is such a powerful sport, and it has the ability to bring people from all walks of life together. Instead, we are discussing the things that are keeping us apart. That is a really challenging problem; the issue revolves around the division. I am relieved that it is drawing attention to the fact that people in a place like Qatar are not treated equally. Despite this, we are holding a global event there and stating that not everyone will be able to attend. It is challenging for me, and I hope that it won't continue to be the case in the future.

While the United States national team decorated their team logos at their training base in the Pride rainbow, players from England and other countries will wear an armband that says "One Love" and features the colors of the Pride flag. To reduce the amount of time fans spend thinking about Qatar, the sponsor logos and badges on Denmark's uniforms are subdued. United midfielder Bruno Fernandes received praise this week for speaking out about the issues that are occurring in Qatar, and other demonstrations and gestures are in the works.

The United States of America has adorned their training base in Qatar with the colors of the Pride movement.
Some of these gestures and comments have been criticized for not being sufficient or for arriving too late. Others have been criticized for coming too late. The members of Rainbow Devils, on the other hand, maintain that one must view anything visible as a positive development.

Lindsey has this to say about the matter: "Having players who are role models speak out and say that is a huge thing." Football players have the ear of young people. They look up to them as examples to follow. To make use of that platform, one can do a huge variety of things, many of which are already being done.

"People who have never been the target of discrimination or who do not have an identity that is subject to discrimination probably haven't put much thought into what [Fernandes] said. But for someone like Bruno, who is a role model and an idol, and as United fans we adore him, to say that football is a game for all people, that is very important to us.

Is there any chance that LGBTQ+ football fans will take away anything positive from the World Cup in Qatar, given the current state of affairs?

Lindsey holds out hope for it. She says, "There will be people who live in Qatar who are possibly struggling with their identity or don't feel it is safe for them to be themselves." "There will be people who live in Qatar who will struggle with their identity." "Knowing that there is support for people all over the world and the fact that we are all on the same page - I say we are all on the same page but, sadly, we are not.

"Clubs like Manchester United and big clubs like Chelsea and Spurs have these LGBTQ+ groups, and they want there to be diversity in football, and they want to move forward." United is working with us to improve how they support fans who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as fans who identify in other diverse groups. They want to do more, and if there's anything that can be gleaned from that, it's that even though we've accomplished a lot, there's still more work to be done. The fact that Qatar is hosting the World Cup serves as evidence of this.

"We need open dialogue to make sure that this is not a passing fad and that it will not be forgotten in the near future. These are the kinds of discussions that ought to take place before the next World Cup. The World Cup has already been scheduled to take place in that location; the decision to do so was made a very long time ago, and it is only now that we are having these discussions. There is nothing that can be done now. I would have preferred for those conversations to have taken place before deciding who would host the World Cup and for us to make sure that we are taking those things into consideration in the future.

Carl is more upbeat and positive. "There's already been something good that's happened, and people are talking about it. "He says that people are looking at Qatar and saying things like, 'Oh my god, I had no idea that this happened.'"

"There are some bright spots in this picture. It's a safe bet that FIFA won't select another nation with the same laws and problems because it's given them so many headaches in the past. It looks promising going forward; all we can do is talk more, make ourselves more visible regarding the issues, and educate people as we go along.

We can take a critical look at the situation, but moving forward, I will always believe. You can sense the tide turning, and this will only help to push things in a more open direction anyway. Everything looks bleak for the future of football, but I still have hope that something good can come of it.

"It's not a matter of sweeping it under the rug; rather, it's about having conversations and putting things in writing. It is imperative that this be open and honest. Football is a game that can be played by anyone, regardless of age or gender.